Man Orders Vegetarian Option On Flight, Gets Worst Airline Meal In History

#1

Isn’t airline food the worst? Yes, we all know what it’s like to be stuck with barely edible meals – particularly during long-haul flights. I’ve wondered many times why airlines don’t get it right but it turns out it’s not entirely their fault. High altitudes play a huge role in our perception of taste. At high altitudes our taste buds simply don’t work properly. The low humidity dries out our nasal passages, and the air pressure desensitises our taste buds, which is why airline often opt for salty stews or spicy curries. Airlines try to overcome this by tasting food and wine on board a flight before approving a new menu for public consumption. Some airlines install sealed rooms in their kitchens room to replicate the experience of eating at high altitudes and check for variation in taste.

#2

It’s not always easy travelling as a vegetarian, as one passenger discovered while aboard an Aegean Airlines flight.

The Greek carrier brought over the requested vegetarian option come mealtime, dubbed “Vegetarian Oriental”.

#3

While we’ve all probably had some pretty bad experiences, one might be hard-pressed to say that they had a worse time than this Reddit user who goes by the name of Musterknabe.

#4

Reddit user musterknabe posted a photo of his specialist dish on the social news aggregation site, showing what appears to be a polystyrene box filled with raw strips of carrot, red pepper and celery.

#5

However, this unlucky passenger – who goes by musterknabe on Reddit – was in for a rude shock. He ordered a “vegetarian oriental” meal, which is helpfully described on the Aegean Airlines website as “vegetarian foods prepared Chinese style”. However unclear this is, it sounds potentially interesting and possibly yummy right? Musterknabe was incredibly surprised by the plate of food he was served with, and took to Reddit to share a photo with the caption: “I booked my flight online and chose the ‘Vegetarian Oriental’ meal. This is what I got.”

#6

The traveler wasn’t even upset with the dish until he realized that everyone else on the flight had been given a biscuit for pudding.

He said: “I didn’t complain about this yummy dish. But then I realized that all passengers who ordered a non-vegetarian meal got an extra cookie for dessert, so I demanded a cookie and got one.”

He added: “I am not a vegetarian, I just prefer good meat.

“I have to know where it comes from, how the animals were treated and what they got to eat — when I don’t know it, I order a vegetarian dish.”

At least the grub was edible, though — some poor passengers have been served in-flight meals that were completely inedible.

#7

There were plenty of trolls in the Reddit thread who decided to tease Musterknabe for his vegetarian choice. Someone wrote “Looks like what you vegan freaks eat. I don’t see the problem,” but even though Muserknabe is not a vegan nor vegetarian, people who choose not to eat meat deserve to have as good of a meal as those who do.

Musterknabe took it all in stride though, letting the other Reddit users know that he is not vegetarian but chooses to only eat meat where he knows the animals have been ethically treated. If he is unaware of the meat practices, he will order a vegetarian dish.

#8

Aegean Airlines apologised and said it looked like the passenger in question had been given the Vegetarian Raw option rather than the Vegetarian Oriental.

“We are really sorry when reading this less than favourable comment on our meal service on board,” a spokesperson told The Independent.

“Our customers may choose among a wide list of special meals, which they can enjoy for free during their flight. On this occasion, it seems that our customer was offered the vegetarian raw option which includes raw vegetables and fruits, instead of the vegetarian oriental. Moreover the packaging of the meal leads us to believe that this was a meal served on a short haul flight.

“Special meals may be ordered up until 24 hours before the flight, and must be confirmed by our reservations team.

“Our customers' feedback is of utmost importance. Should the customer’s booking details be available, we’re happy to review the issue and answer in more detail what exactly happened on this occasion.”

#9

At least Musterknabe described the meal as “delicious.” That’s much better than those who wind up with inedible food on a flight or those who wind up with food poisoning. The best part is that he took it in stride, ate it anyway, and still didn’t say anything bad about the airline or the crew.