SeeBuyFly

No.

Repeat after me, slowly: Passengers may request special meals in advance if they require them because of religious or health reasons. If a passenger chooses from the special meal list, that passenger gives up the right to choose from the onboard menu.

This is true on any airline. FAs may make exceptions, but that does not change the basic principle. The special meal order is NOT a way to increase your options over and above those offered by the onboard menu.

You have now been told this in many ways by many posters. I can see that you want to continue debating this indefinitely, but it is not worth continuing.

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

Airlines receive hundreds (thousands?) of special meal requests per day. They don't go through the menu (sometimes for flights months in advance) and determine whether there's a potential meal already on the menu, and then look at all the ingredients for that dish to make sure they exclude all by-products of your excluded item.

They simply send through the dietary request to the kitchens who then make up your meal. If you have several items that you can't eat, for example beef and fish, then you need to make that choice clear from the outset. And they will cater accordingly.

It happens sometimes that you don't like the meal they have chosen for you. In that case you can either wait till other passenger have made their choice, or perhaps the crew will find you a meal from another cabin (including economy). I've had several economy meals in my time in premium cabins. No biggie... I'm either hungry or not.

Some airlines carry a few additional meals to cater for choice for all passengers. But this is more likely in First class. Desserts are different... airlines will often cater for a pudding, cheese and fruit for everyone so you will have a greater choice (and some people don't eat dessert anyway). British Airways was a notable exception, you could either have cheese or pudding. If you wanted both you had to wait until the rest of the cabin had made their choice. Any left you could have it. (Often there was none left.)

24left

@Guy Betsy

Thanks for your reply and suggestion. Much appreciated!

FlyPointyEnd

I believe this was Ace71's problem. He ordered a special meal for his mother but she wanted to forego it for items on the menu. Normally the crew would say that if a passenger wishes to forego his/her special meal, he/she needs to wait until all other passengers have selected their meals before they can offer what was left on the cart.

FlyPointyEnd

They don't normally ask not unless you are a Diamond/Emerald, but if you inform the Senior Purser by saying, "excuse me, my mother doesn't take beef, would it be possible to set aside XXXXXX for her?" I am sure the crew would be more than happy to do it for you.

FlyPointyEnd

But you said earlier

so which one would it be?

This is where expectation and reality disconnect...unfortunately you expected to be able to choose an alternative meal, where as like many people have pointed out here, that the reality is most if not all airlines have a policy that once a special meal is ordered (No Beef Meal is a Special Meal) you served whatever food was loaded for you on the flight.

Ace71

Apologies to sscywong - I mixed up the main meal and breakfast.
The cabin crew didn't offer an alternative for the main meal but she did get an alternative breakfast (from congee to omlette).

24left

@Guy Betsy

With the greatest of thanks for your reco!!!!!

I ordered VOML - Vegetarian Oriental Meals for all 4 flights: 829, 739, 724 and 826.

Overall, the meal items ranged from excellent to outstanding on 829 and 739.

I skipped dinner for sleep on 714, and 826 was less impressive which I'll explain when I post the photos.

Below I'll start with just the specific VOML items on CX 829.

Thanks again!

24left

These photos are the specific items that came with my VOML.

The dinner service was outstanding. The appetizer salad had a perfect vinaigrette seasoning, the fruit was just perfect and the hot meal was delicious.

I skipped the breakfast hot meal as I'm not a congee fan. (with apologies )

.

Guy Betsy

Glad you liked your VOML. I would if I could order more but as I'm wheat intolerant, the VOML tend to be very noodle and bun based and I usually end up with just the vegetables.

24left

CX 739 HKG-SIN April 2017

These photos are the specific items that came with my VOML.

The appetizer salad with the baby corn and finely grated vegetables also had had a very tasty dressing.

The hot meal was delicious. It seemed to be a tofu version of pineapple chicken. Tasty sauce, a bit sweet but at least it had some spice.

.

24left

CX 826 HKG-YYZ April 2017

These photos are the specific items that came with my VOML.

The are almost exactly the same 4 items as CX 739.

The only issue was the salad with the baby corn and finely grated vegetables and the tomato appetizer did not seem fresh. It was as if they had been prepared days earlier.

The hot meal (same a tofu version of pineapple chicken) was very good and heated properly.

The breakfast noodle dish had 2 dumplings instead of chopped vegetables, otherwise, the dish was tasty and the same as the supper on CX 829 posted above.

The fruit from with breakfast was not served the same as the regular meals and had different fruit, but was fine, although not yet ripe.

.

royng

CX 619 HKG-BKK (9am departure) Muslim meal MOML
2019 Jan

Breakfast

• Cut fruits: strawberry, kiwi fruit, orange, melon and pineapple;
• Blueberry yoghurt; and
• Main: scrambled egg, sausage, chicken (?) fillet, beans and diced carrot & zucchini in tomato paste and lump of potato; and

Bread Selection
Assorted bread and butter (was the bakery made with lard???)
******************
For normal meal menu please see this post.

jckl

Yes most likely, as is the case with vast majority of Hong Kong Bakeries. Butter is too expensive and it is not part of a typical Chinese diet, where as pig and its by-products are easier to come by.

Note the Maxim's "gutter oil" lard scandal a few years back will make you not want to eat bakery items in Hong Kong/Greater China region.

Lumpster