I know this should be in the stupidest/least substantive thread, but ...

Yesterday, DEN-HNL, in F. A very uninspired (DEN-based) crew, but nothing terrible.

The FA comes through the cabin taking lunch orders with: "Chicken or Fish?" Nothing more.

The guy in front of me asks--"What's the difference?" The FA says: "The chicken comes with potatoes, the fish with rice."

I then ask: "How are they prepared?" The FA says: "The chicken is macadamia crusted, the fish (I think he said mahi) comes with a hoisin sauce."

Is it really too much to expect the person taking orders in F to say something like: "We have a macadamia-crusted chicken breast, or mahi mahi with hoisin sauce?" as opposed to: "Chicken or fish?"

[I had the chicken. It was actually quite good. ]

No, IMHO it is definitely NOT too much to ask, and in fact, they definitely SHOULD have.

Shame on your lazy cabin crew!

Tim

This has actually been the standard on my recent flights in F during dinner. See, for example, this post I made in the F meals thread. So, I'd imagine a lot of others will post here saying the same.

During lunch it's a little more descriptive because it's either a sandwich or a salad and they pretty much have to say so... but I can't remember the last time they actually described the food during dinner.

Of course, maybe it's just psychological. If they called it "chicken crusted with macademia nuts", you'd think it was something actually good.

At least the FA didn't say "the fish is chicken of the sea".

granted this was in Y, but on the recent IAD-NRT flight I took they offered a mind blowing difference of pasta or noodles. A simple asian stir fry noodles or pasta with tomato sauce/cheese would've gone a long way.

Hey that's a lot more description than I ever get. I find the indifference of flight crew to the meal is near universal, though I suspect most passengers are equally so. And if food knowledge is uninformative the wine awareness is even worse. And don't even raise the distinction between blended scotch and single malts!

What frustrates me when flying international in E+ is that some FAs will refuse to give me two bottles of wine with the meal service, a white for the salad and red for the entree. As a civilized diner I like an appropriate wine with the appropriate course.

Hey - at least it makes a change from the grumpy 'chicken or pasta'

And you wonder why some FA's are so jaded!

Most United wines are only appropriate as mouthwash.

Tuna isn't that bad... the chicken can get pretty dry in that heater thing that they use.

Didn't you get a little menu description? Recently, had option of 2 chickens or a fish on NRT-SFO. The chicken was pretty good actually.

No menus on domestic flights.

"The life of everyone on board depends upon just one thing: finding someone back there who can not only fly this plane, but who didn't have fish for dinner."

Isn't the alcohol content too low for that?

Well said. And I am not jaded, one would at least appreciate a little couth.