Originally Posted by pbarnette

I take it you didn't look at a clock?

Take the ATL flight, for example:

On the ATL-HNL leg, it leaves at 10:50 and takes under 10 hours. Assume you bring on a sandwich. As everyone that has ever brought lunch to school knows, you aren't going to die because your sandwich sits unrefrigerated for for the maybe 2 hours until lunch time. You will land at the equivalent of 8pm ATL time. Accordingly, I don't think it true that a) you "need" two meals plus snacks or b) that you are limited to non-perishables for the one meal that is probably needed.

The HNL-ATL leg leaves at 16:02, so again, you have only maybe 3 hours until a normal dinner time, and can bring a sandwich or salad. You will land at the equivalent of roughly 01:00 HNL time. So, unless you can't make it through the night without hitting the fridge, you again have no need for MREs.

Now, I agree with the broader point that it is poor form to not offer something, but the argument that one can't just bring their own food doesn't hold up to scrutiny.