The recent spate of articles reporting on the unsatisfactory quality of airline food has caused shockwaves among passengers and food critics alike. Just when we were still processing the news of an Air India passenger who found an insect in their meal, another report has surfaced that a business-class passenger was served a solitary banana as part of their in-flight meal.
It’s hard to imagine how an airline could consider a single banana to be a reasonable meal option for a long-haul flight, but that is exactly what happened to Kris Chari, who was traveling on a Japanese airline for over seven hours from Indonesia to Tokyo. Kris had pre-ordered the VGML (vegan) option from the pre-lunch snack menu, but was surprised to find that it only consisted of a banana.
Kris Chari, said, “Before takeoff today my flight attendant confirmed that I ordered VGML and that my breakfast was a banana, by which I mistakenly assumed she meant that breakfast included a banana. When she served the banana after takeoff I thought it was just an underwhelming appetizer, but it was in fact the entire meal service! It was cute of the crew to serve the banana with chopsticks, though!”
He further added, “It was a really good banana-one of the best I’ve had recently-but it still seems more appropriate as a snack. Is catering out of CGK typically this underwhelming?”
Meanwhile, the non-vegan snack option on the airline’s menu was far more substantial, including seared tuna with a Moroccan-style eggplant salad, two kinds of cheese with orange salsa, and a baguette. One can only imagine Kris’s disappointment when he received just a single piece of fruit while other passengers were feasting on a range of delicious options.
What’s even more baffling is the inclusion of chopsticks in Kris’s meal, which seemed entirely pointless given the nature of his meal. Perhaps the airline was trying to add a touch of sophistication to the presentation, but it certainly seemed out of place.
Despite the less-than-ideal situation, Kris took it all in stride and made the most of his meal. It’s commendable that he was able to find satisfaction in a single banana, but it’s also clear that airlines need to do much better in terms of providing reasonable meal options for all passengers, regardless of their dietary preferences.
