bbinchi

This Thursday I will be off to CDG on AA 42 from ORD (returning next Tuesday on AA 41). The past few weeks I have been doing mileage runs to/from LHR and have had my fill of the standard meals served in Economy across the pond. Besides, I am thinking that a more healthy dinner could help me sleep better on the overnight leg.

Can anyone recommend a particularly good special meal for transatlantic dinner and lunch flights? I have recently tried the "low fat/low cholesterol" Bistro Bag snacks and they were far better than the standard fare on those flghts (ORD-IAH-ORD).

However, I have never requested a special meal on International Flagship flights. Anyone have recent experience in this area? Which would you choose? Seafood meal? Low fat/cholesterol? Vegetarian? Others?

Will appreciate your suggestions...thanks,

Bill

(edited to correct a glaring error in my typing...yikes!)

[This message has been edited by bbinchi (edited 02-21-2001).]

headinclouds

NEVER order the vegitarian meal. It is worse than standard coach fare. The cold seafood meal is not bad, except from London when it is watery shrimp with that pink mayo that the Brits use all the time. I have had only one experience with the 'heart healthy' meal. It is 3 rotating meals and the salmon selection is good except for the sauce on the side. Hope this helps.

PAUL PALMER

Bill! I have a suggestion. Order the seafood as cold food is usually better than hot in Coach (and anywhere else on the plane as a rule - it can never get overcooked), and take some bits of your own. We took in Bus Smoked Salmon (it ws Christmas and it needed finishing as did the Foie Gras (Air France apart who would afford that)), and some cheese (airline cheese is usually bland and under-ripe). I would think that if you "pic-niced", what you with your exquisite taste would buy would be infinitely superior to anything on board in any class. Au retour, how about some pate, cheese, fruit?? Just a thought.

Buchanan

I agree to never, ever order the vegetarian. There's supposed to be two choices, VLML and VGML but the caterers always prepare the VGML (vegan) due to being cheap I assume. The VGML consists of rice with a piece of tofu and a few onions. The salad comes with a disgusting lemon chemical dressing which is served fleet-wide. You're hungry four minutes after you've finished. You feel so slighted when you see the amount of food provided with the regular fare. The domestic VGML/VLML is even worse. It hasn't been changed for 10 years and consists of some unknown rice mixture, three tiny baby vegetables, and a nasty smelling bean and onion mixture topped off with a thimble full of some wierd tomato sauce. I recently read an American Way article on the chefs of AA and how much effort they put into creating exciting meals. I laughed and laughed. Whichever chef concocted the veggie meals should actually try this garbage.

MKB

Buchanan's comments are spot on. It also amuses me how American crew seem to have this strange notion that British passengers ordering VLML do so for medical reasons. Several times crew have told me they were worried about giving me meat, or even butter or cheese or milk in case I had some allergic reaction!!! Don't they know that there are loads of dairy vegetarians in the UK, and most choose to be so for moral/ethical reasons or because they are avoiding red meats. Nothing to do with allergies. Cultural ignorance I suppose.

My VLML breakfast last Friday on the AA115 morning flight from LHR to JFK consisted of:

(1) Tray into which muffin mixture had been poured and cooked;
(2) A standalone muffin;
(3) Two thin slices of melon.

Remember, this was the first meal service, when you'd ordinarily expect something a bit more substantial.

Regular meals had several additional items. A guy nearby had a Kosher meal that had twice as much food as the regular meal. No sense of fairness in the meal planning here.

The economy VLML meals on American are exceptionally poor. The only airline on which I've had consistently good VLML meals is British Midland. The rest are either poor or hit-and-miss.

If I'm travelling business on American, I simply make do with the vegetarian bits from the regular menu. That way, I actually get some decent food.

The worst food I ever had in the air was the vegan (VGML) fare on Concorde. It was my fault I accidentally ordered VGML rather than VLML, but I was still rather shocked to get just two plates of assorted lettuce leaves and a bowl of peanuts and raisins.

bbinchi

Thank you, Paul, for your suggestions. Once again, you give me more credit than I deserve but your point about taking along a "pic-nic" dinner is probably a good one and would seem especially fitting on the return.

Thank you, "headinclouds" and "Buchanan", for your comments about the vegetarian meals. I have emailed this topic to my friend, who will accompany me and who has ordered the VLML. He may wish to reconsider and bring his own food as well.

bbinchi

MKB:

I was typing as your message was posted. Thanks for your comments; looks like my friend had better not chance it with the VLML. And I am truly shocked at what BA served you - and on Concorde no less!

Scigirl

Buchanan your description of the vegetarian meal is right on the mark! It is so gross! Why would anyone serve a mix of nearly raw beans and onions on an crowded airplane, particularly one not pressurized to sea level? The horrid lemon dressing/Mr. Clean that they provide for the salads - *shudder*. The hard thin slices of unripened melon. UGH!

I actually wrote to Delta and complained after I saw an article about how they pay special attention to in-flight meals. All the airlines seem to have the same vegan meal they throw at anyone who orders low fat, vegetarian, vegan, etc. etc. - easier to make one meal than 4 different ones. The FA actually seem embarrassed to even serve the vegetarian meals. I remember a time when decent food was served for special meals. Now I just carry on a sandwich and eat around whatever is available for the regular meal (which more commonly is vegetarian now days).

dhammer53

On rare occassion I've ordered a Kosher meal. And no one ever got sick eating a plain piece of boring chicken.

Dan

dgordon

Just keep in mind, if you have any elite status, and there is any chance of a complimentary upgrade, you may lose your chances if you have a special meal ordered.

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DtG

bbinchi

Thanks to everyone for their comments and suggestions. I have decided to try the "heart healthy" meal (AHML) as it sounded like the most appealing option when the PLT desk agent explained what the various special meals might comprise.

dgordon:

Good point, and I am PLT, but I doubt there is a prayer of an upgrade as I'm traveling with my sister and a friend and we're all on "web special" fares.

Eugene

I've had the "heart healthy" meal on my flights to and from ZRH and was quite pleased. Salmon on the way back was particularly good.

bbinchi

Indeed it was, Eugene. We really enjoyed our chicken breast ORD-CDG and the salmon on the CDG-ORD leg was very good. Both meals were a major improvement over what was served to our fellow passengers, who did not order a special meal.

Just a bit of trivia: our meals were labeled "AHML" from ORD but "LFML" from CDG.

[This message has been edited by bbinchi (edited 02-28-2001).]