Im just wondering, and I ask this as a multi-year UA elite myself, why it seems especially ridiculous to have to pay extra for a new vs. non-status? Does an elite need food more often than a non-elite? Does that elite necessarily pay more for their seat because they have status vs. a GM?

Yes, premier status pax get freebies that others don’t - like E+ seats and checked bag allowance, etc. - but until 1Ks started getting a free food and drink item, food has never been one of these items, and that’s a limited set of elites and just started fairly recently.

So I get the there should be free meals on this flight argument. I don’t get why ‘especially’ elites should.