According to the article "Why does food taste different on planes?" (2015) from BBC Future, While you are on a plane, there are many different conditions from the ground such as dryness and low pressure that will make our taste buds and odor receptors in our nose don't work properly. Moreover, due to the safety standards on the plane, the food must be cooked on the ground and then it will be heated again in the air so that the tastes and flavors of the food are modified.
At the first glance to home page of BBC, I feel very interested in this article very much because I also have this problem when I traveled by plane. I feel that the taste of food on the plane quite tasteless; and its taste isn't delicious enough for the international airline that could hire many professional chefs to cook the food. And now I know why it was like that.
This article makes me think to last 2 months (March, 2015), while I was travelling to Hong Kong, I've some questions about how the airline dues with this many pieces of plastic, about 7-8 pieces per person, using for containing food on the plane. That are quite a large amount of plastics if we calculate all of flights and airlines. I think they use too many pieces of plastics for containing food on the plane. For example, I think butter and cheese, as you seen in the picture above, don't have to be served in the plastic bowl.
Let's back to the article, after I read this article, I feel surprised that there are some scientific causes inside this problem because, at first, I never think to scientific cause at all. Nowadays, Science can answer us many and many things that used to be doubted in the past; even though, there are still many things that Science can't explain us now; but in the future, when our technology get farther, I believe that Science will be able to give us answers to almost everthing. How interesting and useful Science is!
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Your post give me an insight. I've tried low carb menu on the plane once and it's so so tasteless. They served boiled vegetables and a piece of roasted chicken that have no flavor at all. At that time, it was really weird to me because I love eating fresh and clean food and sometimes I even eat vegetarian food.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds interesting to me because I'm interested in clean food too.
DeleteVery interesting! I've never know how food on planes is related to scientific theory until I read this article. I agree with you that food on planes is really bad and I never take it all. One of the reasons I found out in your blog post in which environment on planes is quite different from the ground and lead to changing of your taste bud. Also, heating process may lose delicious taste.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you that food on the plane are really awful and tasteless. But It depends on which airlines you travel with.
ReplyDeleteFor example, If you travel with Thai airways, Qatar or Emirates or a high class airline, food on their plane do not taste bad at all. At the same time, if you travel with Low cost airlines, It has no surprise that their food are obviously awful and not yummy at all. Because the ticket is very cheap and they can't serve good and tasty food for you surely.
I agree with Aoh that food taste may be depend on airline too. However, I think Thai airways' food taste is not bad, but not my last flight.
DeleteI'm also very surprise that why food heating process affect its taste so much, may be our taste buds cannot work properly affect taste of food more than heating process. Because, I always heat my food with microwave oven and taste of food is quite the same.
Anyway, next 2 months I have to travel by Qatar airways, I hope taste would not be tasteless.
I agree with you. I have had experience in same way. The food in international airline is almost good; however, another factor is who is catering. I prefer the food which are cooked from catering in asia and America zone more than middle east because of different ingredient and different style to cook.
DeleteI think the factor about airline that you said is important too. Thanks for sharing your experience.
DeleteThis is interesting topic, when I read I think about the food in economy class in which served to us that was terrible, but I wonder that in the first class, Is that delicious? I saw many expensive food such as Foie gras, Salmon or drinks like whiskey and wine ;however , it may depend on the airline quality or scientific cause like you say.
ReplyDeleteI've never taste the food on the business class too. However, it must be better than the food on economic class but I think it still worse than the food on the ground.
DeleteYour topic is very useful knowledge. It shows that science can explain many mysterious things. I've ever traveled by airplane one time and there is one meal in this flight. It is a flight to Japan. This meal is Japanese food and it is delicious for me, or maybe my taste sense is bad. lol
ReplyDeleteWow, that sounds interesting. In my last flight to Hong Kong, the food for departing flight was not bad but not good, just medium. But, for returning flight, the food quite tasteless and worse than the first one.
DeleteI have heard this article before , that make me not expect nice food in flight; however, instant noodle is still delicious in flight. Have ever have it in flight?
ReplyDeleteI think it may not be available on plane due to the safety standards and observation of me that I have never seen a food with water served on the plane.
DeleteMaybe instant noodle is provided in the long haul flight if passenger feel hungry.
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ReplyDeleteI really like eating food on an airplane whether the taste is good or not, maybe it's just because I'm the kind of guy who love to look at the view outside an airplane window while enjoying whatever he got in that narrow seat.
ReplyDelete