What is the most dreaded meal that one has to eat without any recourse? An inflight meal of-course. Long flights are tiring enough and when hunger strikes while you’re 7.2 miles above the earth, the options to satiate it with, are limited. Flight meals can seem tasteless and soggy. Everyone always has a horror story about the worst in-flight meal that they have had to endure. Many people dread flight food more than the flight duration. Yet, when the air hostess comes in with the food tray, a little hope in our heart flutters, wishing that somehow, this meal will be different from any in-flight meal we have ever had to endure in the past.
Boring and delayed flight meals are particularly difficult to gobble down while flying internationally. A 10-hour flight would mean that you find yourself hungry and craving a sumptuous meal, many times during your travel. Carrying cooked meals in the hand baggage can become a problem because of the staunch smell of food kept closed in a container for hours. In such cases, what are some sure shot hacks that you can follow?
Carry a small packet of peanuts in your hand baggage
You don’t have to worry about a packet of peanuts spreading an unpleasant smell throughout the whole flight. Also, peanuts are a no fuss snack and they are extremely filling. As they are packed with fibre and protein, peanuts also keep you full for a longer time. This means that even if the in-flight meal doesn’t arrive on time or isn’t up to the mark, snacking on peanuts would ensure you feel full and don’t keep pressing the assist button to ask when the next meal will be served. An additional bonus of carrying peanuts on flight is when you pair them with the in-flight alcohol that you get on international flights and enjoy them as chakhna. Peanuts can also be sprinkled on a salad to make it taste salty and nice.
A pinch of chaat masala can jazz up any bland meal
Carry some chaat masala in a small sachet in your hand baggage and feel free to use it on fruits, lentils, salads, soup or on a simple sandwich to make the in-flight meal taste yummy. Chaat masala can also be sprinkled in lemonade, that you could buy from the in-flight menu. Chaat masala also helps you in digestion which comes in handy while travelling in flights for long durations or while taking connecting flights.
Carry your favourite coffee sachets and tea bags
Nothing soothes the soul more than a hot cup of your favourite beverage. We all have a specific brand that we all like when it comes to tea and coffee. While carrying a hot thermos of tea or coffee might not be allowed in your air travel, you can always take tea bags and coffee sachets of your liking, with you. You can easily make your favourite tea or coffee by requesting the air hostess or steward to give you some hot water and milk powder separately.
Choose saucy meals
If everything else fails and you are left to make a choice between the existing flight meals, always choose meals that have a curry or sauce in them over dry meats. The food that is kept in the flight is re-heated before being served to you. When a meal is heated and reheated again and again it loses a lot of water, making the dish taste rubbery and awful. Therefore, choose meals that already have a high-water content in them like saucy pastas or lentils.
We hope these hacks make your next in-flight meal bearable. Try them out and tell us which one worked for you.
