To some extent I do feel as though I pay more for miles. I could fly a charter or Aloha to Hawaii, for instance, for far less than I pay to fly UA, but I wouldn't be getting my status miles.

As for food, I try to bring my own anyway because the airlines aren't too good at meeting my needs. So if they want to reduce their fares by the few bucks I save them by skipping their meal service that would be OK by me.