I used to think that way until I flew CX in F. The food there was good. Unfortunately, while I am willing to pay a hundred dollars or two more for that kind of food on a long flight, I am not willing to pay twelve thousand dollars for it. And CX no longer seems to have any availability for Z rewards using Aadvantage miles.

If there were decent airport food to take on a plane, I would just buy that and bring it on board. That, however, seems to be a rarity except at a few airports. And I really don't want to take an extra 45 minutes to an hour before my flight diverting my drive to a decent restaurant for food.

So, given the cost of using sticker upgrades, the minimal difference between domestic F and coach, the horrible food offerings for purchase in coach, and the apparent inability to upgrade on most routes with stickers except at the very last second, I just anticipate no food or lousy food and don't even bother with it unless I am starving. Instead, I opt for a nice meal in a new locale after I land.