Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Culinary Acclimatisation

One of the annoying things about intercontinental air travel is that you inevitably cross one or more timezones, leading to temporary disorientation at best, and protracted jet-lag at worst. Mindful of the need to adjust to your new surroundings, flight crews deliberately dim cabin lights to simulate darkness, and time on-board meals to nudge your natural circadian rhythm into realigning with that at your destination.

On my recent flight back to the US from Europe, I was treated to a slightly different variation on the acclimatisation theme. After take-off from Paris, we were served a full meal on a tray, complete with wine, cheese and bread rolls. About an hour before landing in the States, we were then given our second meal: pizza and ice-cream delivered in cardboard boxes.

I almost expected the steward to ask me, "Would you like fries with that, Sir?"

No comments: