Which Are Best Special Meals?
 

Most of my domestic flight is on Delta and the food has gone sour-so to speak. So I tend to order special meals like cold seafood or fruit plates. However, am I missing out on something better? Also what are the best on other airlines?

I always get the kids meals (I am only 10). United always gives happy meals, consisting of cookies, a cheese burger (almost, the cheese is always like water) and some fruit. United once gave me disgusting chicken nuggets, so I gave them to my mom's brother. He liked them. I think an adult could order a happy meal.

My parents get vegetarian meals, usually contaning rice or pasta, and over-cooked veggies. They aren't something to shout about though.

Soon I will be flying in business on United. I'm wondering if anybody knows what they give for kids meals? Will I still get a happy meal? http://talk.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

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Theaterwiz

http://talk.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I’m a vegetarian - but rarely go thru the hassle of ordering a special meal. I typically just eat around whatever meat I’m served as part of the regular meal.

Periodically I do think ahead and order the vegetarian option, to see what I’m missing - and am often disappointed. Airlines seem to think vegie should mean BLAND.

What’s most frustrating on those occasions is when I see the regular meal is something like a nice (meatless) pasta, and I’m stuck with nothing but limp, tasteless vegetables for the vegetarian meal.

10 years ago I really enjoyed the "low carbohydrate" breakfasts on TW (don't really exist anymore)--cheese omelet, sausage and broiled tomato.

Now everyone has bags....

On AA, order the Great American Hamburger...it's WAY better than anything the ever serve for lunch....I've had people lean over and jealously ask "How'd you get one of THOSE?"

Only works for lunch or dinner flights, not on snack flights.

Kids meals for my children have been fine: hot dogs or chicken nugs

Thanks for the response. That hamburger thing sounds great!

I had a lot of luck with fruit plates on DL. Note - they're not available on some code-share flights. SQ special meals seem to always be good.

We used to do seafood all the time but some of them arrived VERY tired so quit. We got our jollies out of eating shrimp while everyone else had chicken. Anyone try them lately? I'll be flying Lufthansa soon - any suggestions for special meals on that line?

Just a word of caution about special meals, some airlines are hesitant about upgrading pax (operational and gate/standby, i.e. no "special" catering) with special meals, particularly non US baseed carriers on intl flights.

Mark

I've had the Kosher meals on Continental's Newark-Honolulu flights and they were delicious. Once I had a moist herbed chicken breast with wild rice, sun dried tomato sauce (nice and chunky with pine nuts), green beans, and carrots. Since everything is frozen and shrink wrapped (the whole thing is microwaved by the FA's) it seems very very clean and the portions are quite large compared to everyone else.

I had mixed success with Kosher meals. I usually don't bother, but it was during passover.

On one flight (American) arrived totally frozen! The FA offered a muffin from the regular meal, but that was the whole problem. A letter to American got me a $25 voucher, I think.

On a United SFO-EWR flight, the meal was fine. And when it came time for the snack, the rest of the cabin (coach) got mini-carrots with dip and a mini-Mars bar. My kosher "snack" was great: sliced turkey w/ matzos, and coconut macaroons, AND some carrot stickes!

So it varies (doesn't everything?)...

I've tried all the vegetarian options on Air Canada (vlml, avml, vgml, etc..) The strict vegetarian invaritably has this wonderful brown soy-thing, prepared in increasingly less creative ways. (Sliced, ground, cubed.) Once in a while it'll be a vegetarian stir-fry with noodles, but that's the exception. (Fruit dessert.)

The lacto-ovo choices are always a pasta with cheese. Lots of cheese. More cheese that the average human could eat at one sitting. Dessert is usually cheese cake. Seriously.

See if your airline offers the asian vegetarian, which is a variant of the lacto-ovo. It's often the same meal (the tray sticker says AVML/VLML), but sometimes they throw in a spicy cold salad (last one seemed kind of mexican to me) or the main dish will be the aforementioned soy spectacular with a spicy sauce.

I haven't found business class much more interesting on AC, except recently I've been presented with sliced egg-plant in a sauce, with ... you guessed it, cheese.

Rapidair breakfast flights are ALWAYS asparagus, roast tomatoe and small potatoes, with a polenta patty. Kinda weird at 7 in the morning. I usually don't take it.

My experiences on United have been limited to very long haul (sfo-syd and mia-scl) and their meals seemed better (could be they were just different). The only disappointment was the mid-flight (mid-night) snack box on the Sydney haul (yes, I admit it! my company flew me economy to Sydney!) My body clock was telling me it was about six in the morning, and the snack box had potato chips, salsa, and two chocolate chip cookies. Everyone else got fresh fruit and a cheese/cold cut sandwich. Go figure...

Canadian Airlines offers a AVML - Asian (Oriental) vegetarian meal. And they offer it on all their flights - even within North AMerica. It usually consists of a stirfry veg dish with rice. Quite tasty , really.

Remembering those FlyerTalkers who have gone before us.
 

After I made this post in community, I received several e-mails and PMs, from folks rejoicing in the memories our dear FlyerTalk friend johna who passed away several years ago.

RIP, johna. If you can read FlyerTalk in heaven, please know that you are remembered here with great joy (for all of the good times) and sadness (we miss you), and the fondest of memories of a great FlyerTalker, now departed. I am thrilled that we were able to have dinner at that last big FlyerTalk party in Montreal.

FWIW, johna gave me (for free) my very first UA upgrade, after we switched from NWA to UA back in early 1999. I cherish that kind thought and deed.

It is entirely possible that some moderator might want to move this to Community. Back in the day, it just happened to be in The Buzz. Back in the day, almost everything was in The Buzz.