0116
UA 305 BWI LAX 0710 0957 752 2D Ch9 Y Empower N

SuperShuttle came at 4, a horrid hour; the driver had the
Classical station on, which was soothing and pleasant,
though at some point the Dvorak Romance went on - a piece
that has a lot of emotional significance to me. On the way
to the airport we picked up two ladies on their way to
Florida. Had a good chat about China and its economic
significance to the US. Checked in with Flip and was on
my way in a matter of seconds.

Wonderful Myra was manning the Club at 5 in the morning. I
guested the two ladies in, and she was as nice to them as
she is to the regulars.

The plane loaded up a hair late but took off on time and
were promised an early arrival.

Hot towels.

The usual choice, fruit plate or omelet. The omelet had an
amazingly scanty mushroom cream filling and was sided with
pork sausage links and sweet and white potato cubes;
everything was pretty overcooked but tasted okay. Tomato
sauce on the side in its foil cup. Fruit appetizer was
quite good - a ripe strawberry, four big sweet green grapes,
a whole kiwi sliced (somewhat underripe), two pineapple
batons (sweet). A croissant was greasy and limp but at
least wasn't the bready nasty thing that I have encountered
recently.

Between the coast and the Mississippi we experienced
moderate to severe turbulence (pilot's characterization
to ATC), which started just after I started breakfast; at
one point a good jolt pushed a piece of cutlery against one
of my front teeth that was hanging from a thread anyway
(it used to be prominent but was forced farther forward
when I was intubated for my surgery in '06 - the surgeon
said that the tooth might have to come out, and I said,
sure, why not; but for some reason they didn't do it).
It's now hanging from half a thread and I expect it to fall
out at any moment [more later on this].

A very good crew but one that showed mild but noticeable
preferential attention for the young fashionably scruffy
black guy next to me, which makes me think that he must be
1. famous; 2. sexy; or 3. a nonrev.

The entertainment was a Jackie Chan movie seemed to pile
stereotype upon stereotype. I glanced up at it only briefly
and at rare intervals.

We landed a little early, and I hurried to the RCC, where
a rather cheerful matron greeted me warmly and on being
asked for a couple drink chits said, of course.

UA 867 LAX HKG 1210 1940 744 15H Ch9 Y Empower Y

Loaded up on time and sat and sat. Eventually lumbered
around to a holding area and sat and sat.

We missed our wheels-up by five minutes, owing to the
controller's reading something wrong (at 28 past he
noticed that our clearance was for 25 past). The plane took
off agonizingly slowly compared to the rocket-like 757
takeoff of the morning.

Good cabin crew. We were served mostly by fairly young
attendants - a Thai woman, a Vietnamese guy, and a cutish
blonde named Kristen, who, apparently entranced by my
seatmate, did most of the service on this flight. The level
of attention was about as much as I am comfortable with,
which is "polite and neither wholly egalitarian nor wholly
obsequious."

to begin
Lemon grass skewered shrimp and Genoa salami; whole grain
mustard sauce

Fresh seasonal greens; Ranch or Asian sesame ginger dressing

main course

Korean barbecue beef with bulgogi sauce; steamed rice and
broccoli

Spice-rubbed chicken with vodka sauce; potato pierogis and
Swiss chard

Pan-fried ginger marinated salmon with garlic black bean
sauce; steamed rice and Chinese broccoli with garlic oyster
sauce

dessert

International cheese selection: Manchego, Rosenborg Noble
Blue

Eli's Caramel Apple Cobbler

midflight snack

Sandwiches, Lay's baked chips, Ghirardelli chocolate,
granola bars and other assorted snacks

Hot noodles are available upon request

prior to arrival

Pesto ciabatta with mesquite turkey; flame-roasted potato
medley

Fresh seasonal fruit plate with creamy yogurt

Champagne
Philipponnat NV Brut Royale Reserve
Pommery Brut Royal NV

White wine
Chateau De Tracy "Mademoiselle De T" 2005 Pouilly Fume
Guy Saget Les Logeres 2006 Pouilly Fume
Estancia Pinnacles Chardonnay 2005 Monterey
Hawk Crest Chardonnay 2006 California

Red wine
Taurus Roble 2004 Toro (Tempranillo)
Capcanes Mas Donis 2005 Montsant (Tempranillo/Garnacha)
Aquinas Merlot 2004 Napa
Pedroncelli Bench Vineyards Merlot 2005 DCV

The appetizer was actually sort of appetizing in an odd
way - the salami and shrimp played off each other amusingly
and in ways no doubt unimagined by the menu planner. Salad
was okay if a little wilted in spots.

The beef was nasty, not tender at all, tasting of Bull-Dog
brown sauce; the rice was dry and crusty but perhaps the
best thing on the tray. The worst broccoli I've ever tasted.
The stench from the tray came back to me some days later in
the mangrove swamps of Pulau Ubin.

I passed on dessert and had half a bottle of Port instead.

The Pedroncelli was uncomplicated, cherryish, a bit too
bright, a bit too sweet. I switched to the Montsant, which
I preferred by a wide margin - it was rich-textured, well
tannined, and quite drinkable indeed.

I also passed on the second service, which was announced by
"Would you like a turkey sandwich or the fruit?"

My seatmate, Mark, and I solved the problems of the world
over gin and tonics (him) and red wine (me), followed by
a bottle of Founder's Reserve, which we pretty much killed
between us. Had a good chat about China and its economic
significance to the US and (as we got drunker) about lady
loves (his is Asian, mine Euro mongrel).

Slept for a good eight hours in the very comfy seat, perhaps
almost as effective for rest as the beds up in the nose.

Thanks to Mark (a former college football player) blocking
for me, I was 2nd out of the plane and 1st at the transfer
security (this took 30 seconds start to finish, pretty
amazing), so I had time for a shower and snacks at the RCC.
The shower rooms are pretty nice if spare, but the amenities
leave a lot to be desired - big bottles labeled "shower gel"
and "shampoo," conveniently placed by the sink, not the
shower. I couldn't get the wi-fi to work. The buffet dishes
this day were e-fu noodles with ground meat and peas sauce
(actually not bad) and bowtie noodles with what the label
called bolognaise sauce but which I think was marinara.
The dim sum machine had the usual (fresh-cooked roast pork
puffs, yum) with the addition of something new and
especially nasty, a ground shrimp and cheese Danish that
might have been one of the most mephitic, nasty things I
ever put in my mouth - I think I got sick from it.