superangrypenguin

Firstly, thanks for posting your meal in this thread!

The thing I quoted may just change my life. Are you certain? There is usually yogurt in curries....

I can try it and it'll cause much pain to me, but before I do, can you please report if you get butter on your plate or margarine?

THANK YOU. ^

PS The reason why I have always believe AVMLs have dairy is because of how SQ lists the SPML's in detail. AC does not list anything in detail. I know it's not perfect, but it's all the info I could find and I figured there's some similarities across the airline as it's *A.

Vegetarian Indian Meal

(AVML)

This is a non-strict vegetarian meal which is prepared in an Indian style and is usually spicy. No meat, seafood or egg is allowed. This meal may include dairy products.

Source: http://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/fl.../specialmeals/

karachi

yes. i've ordered AVML T-PAC and it was horrible. T-ATL are much better.

jhartley15

I had margarine on my plate and only remember in the past receiving margarine and only have received fruit for desert.
I knowingly take the chance that dairy may be present because of the description above. As a rule, I severely limit my intake of dairy products but not because of a possible allergy. I have had the regular veg meal that I find is generally crap so moved to the AVML which I usually like as I love Indian food. I make all of my curries with coconut milk but agreed, with some curries you could be getting cream or yogurt. Whenever I've been on AC domestic I've only ever had the chana masala (curried chickpeas) which always seems to be tomato based with no dairy added.

BUT, I would hate for you to try it and fall ill!

ACYYZ/SD

That's interesting, because SPML's provisioned from Gate Gourmet Canadian departing stations follow the same set of specs be it Westbound (TPAC) or Eastbound (TATL).

SparseFlyer

So lets say I am in PE and I order an AVML.

Do I get a J AVML or a Y AVML?

above.the.clouds

VOML is the same chickpea curry as SAP mentioned.

Sean Peever

You know, by identifying you did a 4 hour flight today with wifi (clearly bought) and by identifying you had a VOML you just made is very easy for AC to know who you are :P

catgirl

Trying to order International special meals for my father who is Hindu and lacto-vegetarian (so eats dairy, but no fish, meat or eggs). My first thought was the Hindu meal, but then it occurred to me that even though it will exclude beef, it may not be vegetarian. So now I am looking at the Asian vegetarian meal (first on the list at the Air Canada site) or the Vegetarian Oriental meal (last on the list). Are they different? I seem to recall that I have ordered a veg special meal in the past and have received a (quite tasty) chick pea Indian-style curry with rice, but I cannot, for the life of me, remember which of the two (AVML or VOML) it was.

Can someone help me figure this out. If it matters, he will be on the YYZ-DEL flights (so perhaps catering will cater to Indian tastes?). Also, if it matters, he is in J. Help appreciated as he is 86, and I'd like to keep these flights as stress-free for him as I can.

ACYYZ/SD

The Hindu Meal is NOT Vegetarian. AVML would be my recommendation as it sounds as though it would be more culturally compatible while respecting his dietary needs and could be supplemented by mid flight snacks, and any of the compatible regular meal offerings including cheese, fruit, desserts, etc.

catgirl

Thank you SO MUCH ACYYZ/SD for your quick response. Appreciate you!

ACYYZ/SD

Appreciate being appreciated

Honestly, the VOML is a bit of an obscure meal varying from station to station.
Catering Plan for YYZ-DEL:

>Bar Service
>Full Hot Dinner
>Mid-Flight Heated Snacks & Sneak-a-Snack Baskets
>Hot Breakfast/Brunch

>Route Specific Dish (not necessarily VEG - probably Korma or Rogan Josh, etc)
>Naan Bread

Stick with the AVML - definitely. Remember from the last go-around catering was very good out of DEL.

canadiancow

SFO-YYZ CHML lunch.

Conversation went like this when I was handed a menu:
Me: Do you have my special meal?
FA: Oh, you ordered the Kosher meal?
Me: No, the child meal.
FA: .... OH ahahaha I was looking around for a seven year old. Why did you order it?
Me: I've never had it before.

The appetizer consisted of carrots, celery, and pepper slices with a dip. Decent.
It also had cheese and crackers, which I love. AND it had apple slices and caramel dip!

This is by far the best appetizer I've ever had on a North American flight.



The main course was some extremely bland pasta and tomato sauce. Definitely not something I'd request again.

superangrypenguin

Any updates on the NLML? Is it still the same damn chickpea curry like the VOML allegedly is upthread?

flyquiet

On the subject of specific ingredient sensitivities, the SPMLs are useless to me because any one of them could have bell peppers or eggs or fish. (While fish and eggs are not uncommon allergies, it's rare to find anyone else allergic to bell peppers. Although someone upthread reported the same.)

There are some rotations of the AC recipes where every damned thing on the tray has peppers on it: salad, sauce on the entree, arrabbiata sauce on the pasta, the fruit salsa beside the omelet which saturates the potatoes and chicken sausage so I can't eat them. (I would just push the omelet aside as eggs touching food is not an issue, but peppers touching is.) I sometimes wonder if they invested big in bell pepper futures, or if it's just an aesthetic affectation: cheap way to add colour and mask lack of flavour. (I actually like them, but they do not like me at all.)

Dairy and gluten save me from starvation.

On a recent flight, I had not ordered a SPML, obviously, but a FA asked me if I had any particular needs (on account of being deaf) and I thought to ask if she could tell me the meals (in TATL Y). It is hard to lipread what they are offering, and I feel pressured holding the meal service in the middle to ask for them to write it down or something, so I thought I'd ask ahead of time. (I wish there was at least one printed menu in Y as there is for each seat in J. The FA could show it to those who want more detail than "fish or chicken?")

Beyond my wildest dreams, for each meal, she brought the cold or frozen packages to me and let me read the label, which listed ALL the ingredients, and I picked one and that was served to me when the heating was complete. It was the most stress-free meals I'd ever had on an airplane. (Not to say tastiest - steak on SQ J is still up there.)

SparseFlyer

That was nice of the FA

Now the challenge is to see if you can ask that to the next FA you encounter and see if they do it lol