FlyerTalker7654

Hi all,

I should have posted earlier since we returned from our flight with some feedback....

Went to the Pier lounge and ate there. My wife ordered the beyond meat burger (think it was that) which was advertised as "vegan". When it came, the bun had a butter spread on it. We pointed this out to the staff who were a bit shocked. They stated that all the buns come like that?? Not sure how then, they can advertise it as a vegan meal? Anyhow, they gladly made her a new one and brought it out with some toast. It was so good I then ordered one for myself. Was really good and highly recommend it.

Once on board, we waited a few hours to eat as we were full. We were in first class and so could eat when we wanted. When the time came for us to eat, they had a solid 5-course meal ready. We started off with some appetisers which were good. I do not remember exactly what they were, but they were "vegan" and really tasty. A salad and soup then followed which was really good. The soup was a vegetable type. For the main, we had a tomato-based bean type dish, loaded with veggies. It was really good. I must say, I was impressed with the meal.

We didn't have breakfast as we were full from dinner.

So all in all, 5*. No complaints at all.

AK1

Sorry to be clear: she was offered coffee with cream, not served coffee with cream. A minor offence in the context of 2 x totally messed up non-vegan meals. It's illustrative of the crew not being informed of vegan, like offering a Hindu beef.
I
And to be abundantly clear, I am not complaining about the quality of the food she was delivered in J. I am complaining about the total failure to deliver vegan meals on two consecutive flights. She was left eating instant noodles and sugary popcorn snacks - in my estimation a completely unacceptable dining experience.

DragonSoul

I notice that CX puts Parmesan cheese on food and calls it "vegetarian". Not an airline I would trust to know what is or isn't vegetarian. Soup is always to be avoided IMO, because "chicken stock" isn't generally regarded as "meat" in Hong Kong.

(Not an airline I trust anyway with food, having been served 6 grapes for an 9-hour flight because special meal wasn't loaded. But it was better than the nothing I got on the return flight.)

clubeurope

fairhsa

I think this is not really a Cathay issue but an Asian issue. In much of Asia, they struggle with the concept of vegetarian. The concept of vegan is just bizarre. I have many friends who live in HK who struggle hugely on a daily basis with both vegetarian and vegan. So this does not surprise me. And frankly, getting your knickers in a knot about being offered milk or having a little parmesan on the pasta/butter on a bun is just silly anyway. I'm lactose intolerant but if I were 100% strict about avoiding lactose it would be impossible to travel. It's easier just to be a little flexible and stop whining. Not everyone in this world has the luxury of being able to choose to avoid so many foods - they just eat whatever they can afford.

MSPeconomist

AK1

As I pointed out the coffee / milk was a minor thing. What my knickers are in a knot about is that I ordered 2 x specific meals offered by Cathay in J Class seats for flights totalling 24 hours or so and they completely stuffed it up. This left my partner eating instant noodles and sugary popcorn. A multi-billion dollar international company should be able to fulfil 2 x special meal requests in a class of service they charge many thousands of dollars for. It's most definitely a corporate logistics and fulfillment issue and nothing to do with "Asian" - that's just plain apologist to characterize it as such.

AK1

Excellent idea, thank you.

flubber

Yes I would assume that vegans will find it hard to travel if they are strict about leather.

Whether or not it is an Asian issue shouldn't be CX's excuse! If I ask for a vegetarian meal should I get a soup with bits of Yunnan ham in it? Definitely not. If I ask for a vegan meal I'd expect CX catering to know what is vegan and what isn't... the bit about being offered cream with coffee may be a tad OTT but I don't think [MENTION=24086]AK1[/MENTION] should get flamed for wanting vegan food and CX not providing it. I mean, to get a dairy-based dressing with the salad when others got vinaigrette... and pasta with cream sauce? That is definitely CX's mistake.

[MENTION=24086]AK1[/MENTION] - I hope your partner took pictures of her "non-vegan" meal and raised this with CX. Good luck.

flubber

Definitely a good idea. I know a chef who used to work for CX's catering department and he said the best vegetarian option is the Vegetarian Raw Meal.