Flight attendant reveals gross truth about plane food

The food really is as bad as it looks. Photo / Rene Schwietzke

Yum, I can't wait for that delicious airline meal in all its mushy, bland goodness, along with that random piece of stale bread and the weird tasting fruit desert. Said no-one, ever.

We all know airline food is usually pretty disappointing to our tastebuds, but according to a flight attendant, we should give it a miss altogether, because plane meals are simply too gross to handle.

Shreyas P, who claims to have worked as a cabin crew member for five major airlines, dished the dirt on airline food in a thread on Quora, saying smart crew and passengers bring their own food on-board.

In his behind-the-scenes account, Shreyas said none of the food served is close to fresh and it is very unhealthy.

"The food on your tray is prepared not in the galley but in the aircraft catering," Shreyas revealed, "which is often done 12 hours before and even days before the aircraft departure.

"Now, how many such industries do you know where the hot or cold meal was made days before you consume it?

"That cut fruit which is on your tray still looks fresh, and how is that possible when it was cut hours before the departure, have you ever wondered?"

Well, we are now.

And apparently a mile-high breakfast isn't all it's cracked up to be, especially if you're crowing down on something containing eggs.

"The scrambled egg or the omelet that you just had was not only egg but can be a mix of egg and other substitute," Shreyas wrote.

We may not even realise just how bland our meal is — because our tastebuds don't work the same way when we are at such an altitude.

"Most of us aren't aware of this, but in addition to making your ears pop, it causes our tastebuds and sense of smell to go partially numb, compared to on ground." The numbing effect "has major impact on how food tastes and smells."

But he claims that spices, salt and fats are ramped up in the meals these days to try to trick us into being happy with what's on our plates — but it also makes them more unhealthy.

So, would you like the chicken or beef, sir?