Wow! That seems like quite a big for a quick trip! How long is the flight? How was the meat described?
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Itās not small for a 9 hour flight and there is also breakfast later if you want it. I would say that the bites are not that heavy being mostly seafood and veg using steaming, boiling, vinegar cooking styles. Fish is usually grilled, and paired with a pork belly or beef braise of some kind (separated). For some reason I never feel all that full but maybe that is because I tend not to eat anything else on the 19-21 hr trip from Bangkok to Portland that this flight was the longest segment of.
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It was a 10 hour flight to Paris (from SFO) but still a reasonable quick trip to Germany. The meat dish was from Boulud and a braised lamb with vegetables and beats many restaurant level dishes. As a French airline I expect good food 
(and previous experiences set a quite high standard).
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We consistently found the food far better on Air France business class eastbound San Francisco to Paris than was the food westbound Paris to San Francisco. This made no sense to us since I would think it would be the other way around.
@tigerjohn ; thank you! Still trying to gird my loins for a trip like that.
I do appreciate the food on Air France.
Still, I want to have a better sense of what itās like to fly within Europe ( I often take trains when I am fortunate enough to visit more than one country) , and didnāt understand this part ā¦
Do you have to arrive hours ahead of time at the airport? How much time door to door Netherlands to Italy for example? Would a full meal be offered?
Somehow I assumed you were flying within Europe when you said āquick trip to Germany on Air Franceā. I guess 10 hours is relatively āquickā from the US West coast.
If you fly business class you would get a meal served even in just one hour flights
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I personally hate eating on planes. And refuse to do it.
No matter how good the food is supposed to be, it just isnāt.
I just eat in the lounge before I board and either get horizontal or work.
If possible, I either offer my meal to the flight attendant or someone in the armed services.
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I am glad just to get a little bag of pretzels and half a cup of ginger ale. I abhor air travel in the USA.
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Even for a 10-12 hour flight? You wouldnāt even eat something you brought with you?
No, I can easily go 20 hours without eating, and often do.
OMAD is way underrated.
And, donāt you often go 10 hours without eating? Think dinner to breakfast the next day, thatās easily 10
hours if not more.
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Iām not saying I canāt, just wondering under what circumstances I would choose to. The one that comes to mind is breakfast.
I can rarely sleep on planes so on a long flight, I think a meal is a welcomed distraction.
I had to look it up, but I think OMAD is overrated, assuming no related health concerns, and that by meal I mean having something to eat.
I donāt think I would be on HO if I didnāt enjoy food and eating! Iām not talking about the volume, but rather the experience.
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I enjoy food, just not on a plane.
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I tend to agree with you but with some exceptions.
I find lounge food and (usually but not always) airport food to be inferior to business class meals on certain long hall flights, Asian carriers in particular. For example, ANAās business class lounge does not have the offerings that their onboard Japanese meal provides, even with the effect of low oxygen on tastebuds etc. moreover, even though I can go 20 hours without food, I feel worse for doing so given jet lag and fatigues that air travel brings.
But straight up food quality? Airplane food is disappointing and it takes the right setting for me to eat.
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I donāt like eating on planes as flying long haul gives me headaches and nausea. I do try and eat if possible because I think eating at least a bit might prevent the headaches and nausea from getting worse. Sometimes I just eat the dry bread roll. This year Iām flying Qatar Airways a lot. My most recent Qatar long haul was to Hanoi and back. The London-Doha leg had the only food option I was able to eat a decent amount of:
SpƤtzle with steamed veg and beef stroganoff. Coffee mousse. I didnāt touch the cous cous salad - those cold salads on a plane are complete anathema to me. I could barely touch any of the offerings on the Doha-Hanoi and return legs. Qatar Airways has a decent wine selection in economy. But I rarely drink on flights because of my nausea.
Never flown business class in my life. The one time I helped save the life of a man on a Turkish Airlines flight, all I got was a glass of water and a form to fill out with my details in case they wanted to sue me.
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The way I look at it, if a meal is included in the price of the ticket, imma eat it, or attempt to. Iāve never had a meal that was so bad that I said nope, but Iāve had a few disappointing ones.
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How did I miss this thread for so long?
Good tip about ANA, Charles.
Iāll have some pics and comments in a few months, meanwhile, keep it up.
ps. Some of those meals look disgusting. Hereās looking at you, SAS!
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That may have been some of the worst plane food Iāve had anywhere.
I hear you, Erica! SAS went on strike right after I arrived in Copenhagen in 2022. Then i got Covid and was stuck in my room at the Admiral Hotel for 5 days.
SAS is on my āBad Listā.
Also, while itās not great to drink too much on flights, if you do enjoy a glass, some excellent wines, and sakes can be found. Air NZ in particular showcases its top wines regularly. I remember a flight attendant I knew with them recommending a fantastic Pinot noir that ended up retailing for something like $200. ANA has great sakes from well known high end producers.
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