Zulazai

Being an aficionado of Indian food on American Airlines DFW to LHR I decided to opt for Muslim meal so that I eat something spicy and sure enough it was some chicken curry with basmati rice - awesome! However what I found interesting was the couple seated beside me were very pleasant to interact with. Im brown but I speak perfect english without any accent.

However the moment the air hostess came and said Mr X here is your Muslim Meal I couldnt help but notice I got a weird eye from the passengers seated next to me. The couple also no longer interacted with me and had this poker face. Understandably with all thats going on they may have the right to their own prejudices eventhough I didnt do anything to them but fine they just saw me as another brown guy and assumed the worst -- again it hurts but its fine as we cannot please everyone around us.

Im sure Muslim meal isn't just eaten by muslims but also by others who like Indian food and don't have option of AVML. Anyways I was wondering why some Indian food is called Muslim meal? Why isn't it called like a halal meal or something else? Like kosher meal isnt called Jewish meal. Point being is that if they use some other term rather than "Muslim" meal it would sure help calm the nerves of other people around you and hopefully with the weird eyes or freaking them out?

gfunkdave

I used to get the kosher meal because I figured it would be higher quality food. Totally forgot I had that preference set on united.com since they stopped serving food in coach until I was on the way to LHR several years ago. But every time I've gotten a special meal the FA has just said "here's your special meal".

Don't worry about these other people and move on.

DonCarpenter

Maybe they just didn't like the smell of curry in the tight confines of an airplane.

enviroian

+1.

Ordering curry in an enclosed tube is very rude and borderline obnoxious.

BearX220

In fairness it was the airline, not the passenger, who decided the "Muslim meal" should be curry. There's other things they could have made the meal out of. Curry, though, is a mighty inconsiderate choice for an airplane cabin.

justforfun

Except the OP didn't order curry. He/She ordered a Muslim meal, and AA chose to make it a curry. No need to be rude and borderline obnoxious to the OP.

Zulazai

Im pretty sure every food has some type of odor. Its just that you may be used to eating a certain kind so your nose doesnt pick it. I can pick up odor of pizza, pasta, fish and chips, ribs, steak, or even salad. To be honest it wasnt really like a curry (as in watery) but more like rice with piece of chicken breast and some sauces (indian style). Another advantage is that you get a nice dessert + some fruits unlike regular meal of just some food + fruits. I stopped eating regular meals because I find them too rubbery or bland and kind of stale. Maybe its just the way Indian food is made that makes it more eatable while flying. Infact Indian food onboard is not really that spicy and its pretty bland compared to an Indian restaurant.

FFMilesJunkie

Many airlines offer curry dishes, and not just ME/Indian/Asian airlines. I've seen it on several British Airways flights offered in all cabins....and it's often the BEST choice on the menu (and delicious!) You can call me rude or obnoxious all day, but it's not going to stop me from ordering the curry!

mikeef

I actually thought about what would happen if a flight attendant told me, "Here's your Jewish meal," and I had a hard time not bursting out laughing. And while I'm sure that non-Muslims do order the meal, I don't think the FA was being disrespectful.

As to the couple you were talking with, if they really feared you because you were TWB, they aren't worth the energy you put into this post. Bigots are everywhere.

Mike

trikotret

Muslim meal is not necessarily only Indian food. It can be steak and eggs but the meat needs to be halal which is almost same as kosher. I think the airlines need to change the name to halal meals instead of Muslim meals. Muslims can have kosher meals if halal meals are not available. I hope that explains

Oformula

I'm curious how you handle flying to destinations where everyone is served curry on board.

Just because you find a certain kind of food unpleasant, it doesn't stop being a staple for half the world.

Zulazai

I concur. I swear the portions are huge compared to other foods and I have seen this many times. Besides you also get portions of regular meal too like a bun, or a bagel, along with condiments + fruits. Not to mention you get your meal before others. All in all its not a bad choice for me.

No no, nothing against the FA. Infact she was quite courteous. I also dont really hold against the passengers either. Who knows what experiences they had to form this opinion. My issue is with just the terminology of Muslim meal when it should be renamed something else by keeping religion out.

dimramon

If it quacks like a duck...

I think there's too much political correctness going on.
Do we need to rename the regular pasta dish to "Blah American-Italian cuisine"?

But I guess we are getting into OMNI territory...

gobluetwo

It is also possible that the OP just misinterpreted a "look" or their behavior. I've had many experiences where fellow passengers have exchanged pleasantries at the start of the flight and then not said another word to me the rest of the way. That's just sometimes the way it goes on flights. Not everything is potential racism/prejudice/paranoia.

As was suggested upthread, just move on.

84fiero

You're judging those people - assuming the worst of them - without any proof of their thoughts or motives.

There could be any number of reasons why they didn't chat with you after the initial period, having nothing to do with your having ordered a Muslim meal. Or they may have been making assumptions due to bigotry. No way to know based on what you've relayed about the situation.