Called for a third time today. Agent again said nothing to worry about. He did send a QR document via email that lists "Booking Status: (1) OK" (defined in the footnotes as "Confirmed") for each segment.
I noticed the ticketing date is in October - the same date I received a change notification from AA. I also note that the fare details end with "USD NO ADC". (no add collect?)
Maybe AA reissuing the ticket caused some sort of glitch. I feel confident my ticket is good .... but not so confident I'll be sitting where I expect to ... or eating what I pre-ordered.
Don't worry mate...they usually have plently of food unless you have a specific dietary requirement. Glad it worked out. Make sure you take that qr document with you to the airport if you can't check in online.