Posted on: Sunday, March 2, 2008
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SAVVY TRAVELER
You can order a special in-flight meal; here's menu
By
Irene Croft Jr.
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Airplane food has long been the subject of jokes and complaints, and most passengers believe the term "airline cuisine" is an oxymoron. Certainly the availability and quality of standard meals vary widely from airline to airline and from flight to flight. With this in mind, savvy fliers are ordering for their next long flight one of the 30 or more special meals designated with four-letter codes by the International Air Transport Association.
Nearly all airline meals are produced by a few giant catering kitchens, such as SkyChef and Gate Gourmet, scattered around the world, each of them private concerns that cater to many airlines. And each one has a separate kitchen and staff to prepare special meals, which urban legend rumors to be better than the standard fare. The caveat is that no airline nowadays offers the full IATA menu, so check which ones are available on your planned flight.
Special meals — which may be ordered by anyone — are divided into five categories: there are 14 dietary restrictions, five ethnic/religious preferences, five vegetarian, two infant/children and four "other" meals, such as fruit plate or seafood. Note that the airlines state a disclaimer for all of their standard and special meals along the lines of "We cannot guarantee food free of nuts or seafood products, or that allergens won't be present in the food or snacks served on board."
It's best to order your choice 72 hours in advance, using the correct code, and to keep reconfirming right up to day of departure, as the onboard "no-show" rate for these special meals is reported to be high. The good news is that you'll be among the first served at mealtime.
Here's a sampling of the most-requested special meals.
Strict Western vegetarian or vegan (VGML): Excludes meat, seafood, lard, gelatin, eggs, milk, dairy and honey.
Western vegetarian (VLML): As per VGML, except that dairy products are permissible, including cheese if made with non-animal rennet.
Raw vegetarian (RVML): Excludes meat, eggs, seafood, milk and dairy products, lard and gelatin, and is entirely fresh fruit, vegetables and salad.
Ovo-lacto vegetarian Indian style (AVML): For Hindu vegetarians who do not eat eggs, fat, gelatin, dairy, seafood or root vegetables. Indian cuisine.
Hindu non-vegetarian (HNML): Indian cuisine that excludes gelatin, lard, beef, veal, pork or their products.
Kosher (KSML): Made according to Jewish dietary laws.
Muslim (MSML): Made according to Halal dietary laws. Excludes scaleless fish, pork, alcohol or their products.
Oriental (ORML): Chinese cuisine, cooked without meat, fish, milk, dairy products or root vegetables.
Bland (BLML): Also known as a restricted fiber meal or an ulcer diet meal. Avoids fried and fatty foods, raw and dried fruits/nuts, raw vegetables, highly seasoned meat, alcohol, pickles and excess sugar.
Diabetic (DBML): Also known as a sugar-free diet meal, hypoglycemic meal or a restricted carbohydrate meal. Excludes sugar, honey, jam, cakes, fatty and fried foods, fatty meats, chocolate, sweetened desserts, sweetened fruit products, confectionary and ice cream. Instead uses complex carbohydrates and fiber.
Gluten-free (GFML): Also known as a gliadin-free meal, celiac meal or wheat-free meal. Avoids any products containing rye, wheat, oats, barley, malt or their derivatives.
High fiber (HFML): Also known as a high residue meal or high roughage diet meal. Avoids meat, egg whites and fats, and instead uses high-fiber products such as pulses, lentils, pasta and cereal grains, root vegetables and fruit.
Low calorie (LCML): Also known as a modified fat meal, low saturated fat meal, weight control meal or low joule meal. A flier with a low-calorie meal designation will not be fed more than 1,200 calories per 24 hours. Avoids high-cholesterol foods like eggs, liver, kidney, heart, shrimp, oils, sugar, rich dairy, processed meats and high levels of saturated fat.
Low protein (LPML): Avoids meat, fish, eggs, dairy and highly salted foods.
Low sodium, no salt added (LSML): Excludes foods with added sodium such as smoked or salted meat or fish, crackers, biscuits and cheese.
Non-lactose (NLML): For lactose-intolerant passengers, it excludes dairy products.
Fruit platter (FPML): Simply fresh fruit, as eaten by certain religious communities during periods of fasting.
Seafood (SFML): Meant to reflect a personal preference, rather than dietary or ethno-religious requirements. Depending on the airline, shellfish, caviar and other aquatic foods may or may not be included.
Infant (BBML): For infants up to age 2. Excludes seeds, hard fruit/vegetables and confectionary.
Child (CHML): For ages 2 to 12. Excludes foods that are hard to digest, such as nuts, seeds or anything rich, hard or well seasoned.
Irene Croft Jr. of Kailua, Kona, is a travel writer and 40-year veteran globetrotter. Her column is published in this section every other week.
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