ONE of the most recognisable chefs and world-famous traveller Anthony Bourdain once revealed the only meal he would ever eat on planes.
Bourdain scolded the concept of plane food and claimed he would always refuse any food offered to him when he was up in the air – except from one item.
GettyAnthony Bourdain has revealed the only meal he ever ate when travelling on a plane[/caption]
GettyBourdain claimed he would never accept food on flights as he didn’t like to eat what was being offered[/caption]
Speaking back in 2016, the US food lover and TV personality said plane food ranks as one of the worst ever culinary inventions on the planet.
He said he would never touch the food offered on long-haul journeys and would always wonder why so many travellers always chose to eat it over getting their own food beforehand.
Bourdain’s opinion is arguably better than most people’s as the food fanatic was travelling for almost 200 days a year at the peak of his career exploring cuisines from across the globe.
When asked about if he’d ever eaten plane food, Bourdain told Bon Appetit: “Never. No one has ever felt better after eating plane food.
“I think people only eat it because they’re bored. I don’t eat on planes. I like to arrive hungry.”
But when questioned over what the TV chef did on long-haul treks from the US to places like Japan or his personal favourite country New Zealand, Bourdain did admit he’d eat just one thing.
He would still say no to any main meals offered to him on the plane when the stewarding team came round but always made sure to check the menu carefully.
As he made his way down the mundane and creatively lacking options on most flights Bourdain was only ever looking for one thing.
Cheese and port.
I’d eat some cheese and drink myself stupid
Anthony Bourdain
Bourdain would stock up on almost any type of cheese available by the airline he was flying with and pair that with a couple of glasses of port.
He claimed: “For a super-long flight, I’d order cheese and s**t load of port.
“I’d eat some cheese and drink myself stupid.”
Agreeing with Bourdain, a flight attendant once shared his top tips on how to cope on a long-haul journey without eating the food.
Brit Kris Major has worked as a flight attendant for over 24 years on both short and long flights.
He explains that when trying to sleep on board, skipping the plane food is often advised.
Kris advised prioritising sleep rather than “eating dinner at the equivalent of 3am”.
If you really want to eat, then he said it was best to fill up on food at the airport, either at the restaurants or lounges, then wait for meals on the plane.
Not only that, but food on the plane can often taste much blander.
This is for two reasons – one being the low cabin pressure as it reduces the oxygen in your blood, making your sense of smell worse.
The air on planes is also extremely dry, which can dry out your nasal passages and make your taste buds less perceptive.
This leads to passengers putting more salt on the food for flavour, and can make you even more dehydrated.
In a wacky experiment it was also realised that wearing headphones could help food taste better in the sky.
Oxford professor Charles Spence, an expert on taste and food, said the noise of the engine can make food taste more bitter by up to 10 per cent, so headphones can block this out.
And food experts have revealed what you should never eat on the plane.
This includes pasta as it “doesn’t reheat well” while the bread rolls are so carb heavy that they can make your jet lag much worse.
Although, a man who has travelled the world has revealed the airlines with the best food.
Having been on 2,000 flights, he often reviews the plane food on each airline.
And two airlines come out on top when it came to their meal service.
He said: “I love airplane food, and by almost living on planes you get used to it.
“I have to say the Japanese meals and wagyu steaks on the Japanese airlines of ANA and Japan Airlines have been the best.”
GettyBourdain would only eat cheese and port on long-haul flights[/caption]