Side note, for the first time in my many years of flying EK, I was told my entree choice was no longer available. It was the chicken (shish taouk) on DXB-JFK.
Not a huge deal but I was surprised since I’ve never had them run out of an option before. I did sleep for the first 8hrs of the flight so that may have played a part in it. And the rest of the menu looked pretty meh so most pax may have chosen the chicken.
As a regular on 203/ 204, I can easily recall a couple of times when they ran out of items, especially those that are chicken/ lamb based. Nowadays, I typically tell the FA to reserve dishes that have caught my fancy early on into the flight. Just saves the frustration and time later on into the flight.