If you like cheese, you'll love United
Sep 7, 2016, 2:37 pm
#1
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Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: NYC
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Posts: 106
If you like cheese, you'll love United
As a non-cheese eater, I'm constantly surprised about how much cheese UA puts into their meals in both economy and biz. It's like it has to be in just about everything they offer. For those of us who lactose intolerant or just don't like cheese, you really notice it.
Last week from EWR-LAX in PS biz, there were 3 entrees - a cheese crepe, a 4 cheese omelette, and the cereal with milk. Yesterday, in economy from DEN-LGA, there was a chicken wrap with feta cheese, a melted cheese roast beef sandwich and an artisan cheese selection. The breakfast entrees from LGA-DEN were chicken sausage egg skillet (with cheese) and ham baguette (with melted cheese.)
How about an Asian noodle option, or a green salad?
Last week from EWR-LAX in PS biz, there were 3 entrees - a cheese crepe, a 4 cheese omelette, and the cereal with milk. Yesterday, in economy from DEN-LGA, there was a chicken wrap with feta cheese, a melted cheese roast beef sandwich and an artisan cheese selection. The breakfast entrees from LGA-DEN were chicken sausage egg skillet (with cheese) and ham baguette (with melted cheese.)
How about an Asian noodle option, or a green salad?
Sep 7, 2016, 2:42 pm
#2
Join Date: Dec 2011
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Plat, Avis First, Hertz PC
Posts: 575
I also try to avoid cheese on my food as mush as possible. Not because I don't like cheese, but I feel sometimes it is only added to enhance the flavor of bland food by adding fat/grease, a type of food engineering. Done correctly it complements the dish.
I think of it like Bacon. Many consumers prefer things wrapped/soaked/accessorized with bacon grease because it is something that gives us lots of pleasure to eat. Ditto with added sugar, salt, etc. All low cost ways to engineer food to be more addictive without improving the overall culinary experience.
That said, I think most US consumers will expect cheese on their sandwich/wrap and would feel the meal is of a lower quality without the added fat/flavor enhancement that cheese provides. It makes it taste better and sometimes we expect our food to conform to our expectations.
I think of it like Bacon. Many consumers prefer things wrapped/soaked/accessorized with bacon grease because it is something that gives us lots of pleasure to eat. Ditto with added sugar, salt, etc. All low cost ways to engineer food to be more addictive without improving the overall culinary experience.
That said, I think most US consumers will expect cheese on their sandwich/wrap and would feel the meal is of a lower quality without the added fat/flavor enhancement that cheese provides. It makes it taste better and sometimes we expect our food to conform to our expectations.
Sep 7, 2016, 3:04 pm
#6
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: LHR (sometimes CLE, SFO, BOS, LAX, SEA)
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Posts: 5,893
Oh, cheese.
A recent e-mail I sent to United said roughly:
Then I sent an e-mail reply 90 minutes later that said:
A recent e-mail I sent to United said roughly:
Hey guys, I'm on board flight [xxx] right now and my wife is baffled because she ordered a pasta dish described as (abc) and it arrived as something totally different, technically still pasta, but (def) instead. No one noticed the discrepancy and she was really looking forward to the (abc). Can you please fix the menus? On the bright side, she won't go hungry because the cheese course is coming soon!
Hey guys, while the FAs were serving the cheese course standing right in front of me, one of them said to another:
"Thanks for doing the cheese. I HATE doing the cheese. I hear on the grapevine they're going to be giving us pre-plated cheese soon, Hallelujah!".
This premium-cabin product is kind of hilarious. Are you guys going to do any re-training along with the Polaris product launch?
Also, my wife was in the restroom when the crew came by to serve the cheese course and they never came back to offer her the cheese. Which, obviously, makes sense, since they hate doing it. Ha ha ha.
"Thanks for doing the cheese. I HATE doing the cheese. I hear on the grapevine they're going to be giving us pre-plated cheese soon, Hallelujah!".
This premium-cabin product is kind of hilarious. Are you guys going to do any re-training along with the Polaris product launch?
Also, my wife was in the restroom when the crew came by to serve the cheese course and they never came back to offer her the cheese. Which, obviously, makes sense, since they hate doing it. Ha ha ha.
Last edited by mherdeg; Sep 7, 2016 at 4:43 pm
Sep 7, 2016, 3:25 pm
#8
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Sep 7, 2016, 3:49 pm
#9
Join Date: Oct 2011
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Posts: 1,552
So glad to be vegetarian today... but, of course, most of the veggie options to fill up end up being cheese. :-)
Sep 7, 2016, 4:46 pm
#11
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Sep 7, 2016, 5:15 pm
#12
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Good points made! I might add: the continuing salad toppings of Feta could also be changed/eliminated; personally I just don't care for Feta.
And the middling offerings of the cheese course on BF/GF flights hopefully will see an upgrade (Polaris?), local flair. Serving American cheese out of Switzerland just seems below par.
And the middling offerings of the cheese course on BF/GF flights hopefully will see an upgrade (Polaris?), local flair. Serving American cheese out of Switzerland just seems below par.
Sep 7, 2016, 5:19 pm
#13
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Three times I have been in SFO UC at 10pm or later - the cheddar doesn't move fast. I concur.
Sep 7, 2016, 5:29 pm
#15
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Good points made! I might add: the continuing salad toppings of Feta could also be changed/eliminated; personally I just don't care for Feta.
And the middling offerings of the cheese course on BF/GF flights hopefully will see an upgrade (Polaris?), local flair. Serving American cheese out of Switzerland just seems below par.
And the middling offerings of the cheese course on BF/GF flights hopefully will see an upgrade (Polaris?), local flair. Serving American cheese out of Switzerland just seems below par.
I can report that the UC cheeze doesn't melt when added to the chili.