Chicken or fish? The evolution of in-flight dining

Chicken or fish? The evolution of in-flight dining
By admin


Most people cringe when they think of plane food. The thought of indecipherable meats congealed together with a dose of overcooked vegetables has had many people opting out of in-flight meals. But airplane food can often be about much more than just mush.

When Cathay Pacific announced their new partnership with Michelin-starred T’ang Court Chinese restaurant for a Chinese Cuisine promotion, the airline dusted off old in-flight menus from the 60s, 70s and 80s, to see how the dining experiences have changed over the years while demonstrating the importance of quality cuisine within their in-flight service.

If a flight attendant was wielding a carving knife today, security would immediately pounce. However in the 60s it wasn’t unusual to see a turkey carving in the centre of the aisle. It would be a nice source of entertainment to break up the monotony of long-haul flights as there were no TVs on the backs of the seats.

The menus from the 1960s demonstrate the emerging trend of French food with meals consisting of elegant dishes such as Fois Gras, served with Melba toast and Beef Bourguignon.

The 1970s menus illustrates the highly regarded presentation of food, which meant the meals were artfully laid out nice and delicately, but the portion sizes miniscule. Vegetarian and low calorie meals also started to surface during this decade, although no attention was paid to food allergies such as peanuts or gluten.

Delectable desserts emerged in the 1980s, Black Forest Cake, Plum Charlotte and Peach Sherbet, which all epitomised the lavishness of the decade. The ‘Vodka and Orange’ (or Screwdriver as it’s more fashionably known) also made an entrance, accompanied by the appearance of Spanish and Italian-style dishes.

That Italian influence endured into the 1990s, as pasta and frittatas fought for space on Cathay’s plates. Antipasto were introduced, as were numerous small dishes served with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Recently the menus have reflected the growing trend of healthy eating, with a 216 percent increase in demand for fruit platters in 2012 as well as adopting the world’s massive obsession with coffee. Wine is as important as ever and in 2012 alone over 1.5 million bottles were drained.

“Cathay Pacific has long understood that great food is an essential element of air travel. We continually strive to evolve our menus, building new ingredients into our offering and catering for an increasingly diverse group of global travellers,” Eric Cheng, Regional Catering Manager of Cathay Pacific explains.

The new T’ang Court partnership means a large promotion of Chinese cuisine, with signature dishes including Australian abalone with jelly fish and wok-fried prawns with black truffle paste – a welcome change from the stereotypical plane food we have come to expect.

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