It has the same (or even a little more) space as a domestic F seat, better recline, and a footrest (which is really critical to me on a long haul). It's also only 2 across on the window sides, which is so much better than the 3 across UA has in economy on all its widebodies excepting only the small 767 fleet. For a 14 hour flight, the overall impact of these factors is pretty substantial.

I certainly wouldn't make the choice based on food and beverage options.

I also wouldn't pay $2k extra per ticket for it, unless I was guaranteed an upgrade to J.