Originally Posted by LeisureFirst

In my (limited) experience it only really works like that after the first meal service, which on a shorter flight could take more than half the flight. After take-off the crew set about taking orders for a meal much as in any other cabin, and it could easily be an hour or more before the main course appears. Since most of the cabin orders at that time (although you can choose to eat later) I don't see what you can really do to get served more quickly.

When you are particularly hungry, you can always asked to be brought something like a plate of sandwiches immediately after take-off. I've found the crew have been extremely good with those sort of requests.