The US is a pretty low bar to begin with, and even with that, I've never had to wait 90 minutes in line to get a paper boarding pass despite being hand-carry only. This wasn't to get through security.

Which US airline turned off getting checked in online with a mobile pass or something to show electronically to get on board? It's not a minor glitch. They turned off the functionality entirely.

After that anxiety attack waiting for the check-in counter, luckily the flight was normal. A hot meal is quite typical in this part of the world even for a 2 hour flight. I've had 1 hour hops with a hot rice plucked in front of me.