Unit 15

Other Types of Meals: Airline Meal

An airline meal or in-flight meal is a meal served to
passengers onboard a commercial airliner. These meals are prepared
by airline catering services. The first kitchens for serving meals in
flight were established by United Airlines in 1936. The airline dinner
typically includes meat (most commonly chicken or beef), a salad or
vegetable, a small roll, and a dessert. Caterers usually produce
alternative meals, e.g. kosher, halal and vegetarian. These must
usually be ordered in advance, sometimes when buying the ticket.
Some airlines do not offer a specific meal for vegetarians; instead,
they are given a vegan meal. Some of other special meals include:
- childrens meals, which often contain foods that picky
children will enjoy such as baked beans, mini-hamburgers
and hot dogs;
- cultural diet, such as Chinese, French, Japanese, Indian
or Italian style;
- infant and baby meals;
- medical diet which varies from low/high fibre, low
fat/cholesterol, diabetic, peanut free, non-lactose, low
salt/sodium, low-purine, low-calorie, low-protein, bland to
gluten-free;
- religious diet, such as Hindu, Muslim or Buddhist diet (i.e.
Asian vegetarian).
Before the September 11th attacks in 2001, first-class
passengers were often provided with full sets of metal cutlery.
Afterwards, common household items were evaluated more closely
for their potential use as weapons on board aircraft, and both first
class and coach class passengers were restricted to plastic utensils.
This restriction has now been relaxed in many countries.
Condiments (typically salt, pepper and sugar) are supplied in
small sachets. For sanitation, most meals include a napkin and a wet
wipe (also called a moist towellete), often moistened with scented
water.
During morning flights, a smaller, continental-style or hot
breakfast may be served instead. (After Wikipedia, the Free
Encyclopedia)

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 Vocabulary
afterwards = dup aceea
airline meal = mas oferit pasagerilor n avion
airliner = avion care face curse aeriene regulate
baked beans = mncare de fasole
beef = carne de vit
bland = insipid()
chicken = carne de pasre / pui
coach class = clasa economic
establish (v.) = a nfiina
fat = grsime
first class = clasa nti
for sanitation = n scop igienic
gluten-free = fr gluten
halal = hran admis de religia islamic
high = mare
in advance = dinainte, din timp
infant meal = mncare pentru copiii mici
in-flight meal = mas oferit pasagerilor n avion
kosher = corespunztor tradiiei evreieti n materie de hran
low = mic(), sczut()
moist = umed()
napkin = erveel
non-lactose = fr lactoz
on board aircraft = la bordul aparatului de zbor / avionului
onboard = la bord
order (v.) = a comanda
peanut free = fr alune
pepper = piper
picky = mofturos (mofturoas)
sachet = plicule
salt = sare
scented = parfumat()
set of metal cutlery = set de tacmuri din metal
sugar = zahr
vegetarian = persoan care mnnc numai legume i fructe
weapon = arm
wet wipe = erveel umed

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 Exercises
1. Answer the questions.
-

What is an airline meal?

What does an airline dinner typically include?
What alternative meals do caterers usually produce?
When must alternative meals be ordered?
What do other special meals include?
What is kosher meal?
What is halal meal?
What is a vegetarian meal?
What foods do children enjoy?
What cultural diets are there?
What does medical diet vary from?
What religious diets are there?
What happened after September 11th, 2001?
What is airline cutlery made of nowadays?
How are condiments supplied?
What kind of condiments do they supply?
What do most meals include for sanitation?
What do they serve on morning flights?

2. Group the following words related to eating utensils, as in the

model.
bib bowl butter knife cereal bowl chopsticks cup dessert
fork dinner plate eating utensil fork glass goblet knife
mug napkin (serviette) place setting placemat plate salad
plate serving spoon set the table soup spoon spatula
spoon steak knife teaspoon
Words referring to
a dish for
drinking

a dish for
food

preparing
the table
for eating

bowl

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utensils
used by
one
person

utensils
used for
catching
spilled
food

utensils
used to
cut and
move
food

3. Match the following.

1. beef
2. beef bourguignon
3. beef stroganoff
4. beef Wellington
5. beefeater

6. beefsteak

a. a fillet of beef covered with pat de foie

gras, encased in pastry, and baked
b. the flesh of a slaughtered full-grown
steer, bull, ox, or cow
c. a slice of beef, such as one taken from
the loin or the hindquarters, suitable for
broiling or frying
d. a yeoman of the British monarchs royal
guard
e. braised beef cubes simmered in a
seasoned red wine sauce with
mushrooms, carrots, and onions
f. thinly sliced beef fillet sauted and mixed
with onions, mushrooms, sour cream,
and herbs, served on a bed of noodles
or rice

4. Fill in with the proper articles from below.

a an the
Though often disparaged for their poor taste, quality of airline
meals varies between airlines. Prices charged to the passengers for
food on board flight ranges in price from free (many airlines,
especially those in Asia and all airlines on long haul flights offer free
meals) to as much as ten dollars. Quality may also fluctuate due to
shifts in economics of airline industry, with private jet
passengers receiving equivalent of five-star food service. On
longest flights in first class and business class, most Asian and
European airlines serve multi-course gourmet meals, while airlines
based in US tend to serve large, hearty, meals including salad,
steak or chicken, potatoes, and ice cream. cost and availability of
meals on US airlines has changed considerably in recent years, as
financial pressures have inspired some airlines to either begin
charging for meals or abandon them altogether in favour of small
snacks. Eliminating free pretzels saved Northwest $2 million annually.
The carrier lost nearly $3.3 billion since 2001.

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5. Ask questions for the underlined words.

Maxson Food Systems, Inc. manufactured the earliest complete
frozen meal in 1945. Maxson manufactured Strato-Plates
complete meals that were reheated on the plane for military and
civilian airplane passengers. The meals consisted of a basic threepart equation of meat, vegetable and potato, each housed in its own
separate compartment on a plastic plate. However, due to financial
reasons and the death of their founder, Maxson frozen meals never
went to the retail market. Some feel that Maxsons product does not
qualify as a true TV dinner, since it was consumed on an airplane
rather than in the consumers home.
6. Insert the adverbs between brackets in the correct place.
-

He goes (at eight oclock every day to his friends house).

That child is amazing: he stayed (for three hours quietly
on the plane).
The meal was served (quickly on the plane today).
This flight attendant is older than she looks. She was born (in
1974 at 3 oclock on November 2nd).
To our surprise, your friend got (early there this evening).
We shall go (at five oclock today to the restaurant).
Your mother spoke to me (in the street very kindly
yesterday morning).

7. Put the verbs between brackets in the ing form of the verbs or the
Past Participle, as appropriate.
Food really does taste different on airplanes and it isnt only because
of cheap materials and sloppy preparation. In addition to (maintain)
high levels of hygiene and food safety, airline caterers must create
meals that will taste good at 10,000 m and on (be) (reheat) six hours
after preparation and (freeze). At ground level, good airline meals are
almost overwhelmingly (flavour), so the question is what happens to
them in the air. The impact on a persons sinuses and therefore taste
buds at high altitude, even in (pressurize) cabins, is (be) (research),
and is (think) to have a lot to do with the (perceive) lack of taste of
airline food.

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8. Translate the following into English.

n timpul zborului dinspre Houston nspre Paris am fost foarte
impresionat de serviciul companiei Air France i de mncarea
vegetarian pe care o ofereau. Cerusem o mas vegetarian cnd
cumprasem biletul, dar cnd am ajuns la check-in mi s-a spus c nu
se nregistrase o asemenea cerere. Totui, agentul a fost foarte
drgu i m-a asigurat c mi va fi servit o mas vegetarian. Mi-a
spus atunci s sun ntotdeauna cu o zi nainte pentru a verifica dac
cererea mea n legtur cu masa era nregistrat. La ntoarcere,
prima parte a zborului meu ctre Houston a fost anulat, lucru care a
nsemnat nceputul multor probleme. Am sunat s cer o mas
vegetarian pe zborul nou i mi s-a spus c va fi una disponibil
pentru mine, ceea ce am descoperit c era o minciun sfruntat. Au
trecut mai mult de trei luni de atunci, i eu nc mai caut compensaie
financiar pentru anularea zborului i greeala n privina mesei. Air
France mi-a rspuns la scrisori dar refuz s i asume
responsabilitatea sau s mi ofere vreun fel de compensaie.
9. Write the following in full, grammatically correct sentences.
Tower: Eastern 702, cleared for takeoff, contact Departure on 124.7.
Eastern 702: Tower, Eastern 702 switching to Departure ... by the
way, after we lifted off, we saw some kind of dead animal on the far
end of the runway. Tower: Continental 635, cleared for takeoff.
Contact Departure on 124.7; did you copy the report from Eastern?
Continental 635: Continental 635, cleared for takeoff roger; and yes,
copied Eastern. Already notified our caterers.
10. Read again the text above and explain the source of the humour.
Then discuss the public opinion on airplane meals, as is can be
inferred from the text.

Lets Laugh!
It was mealtime during our trip on a small airline in the Northwest.
Would you like dinner? the flight attendant asked the man seated in
front of me. What are my choices? he asked. Yes or no, she replied.

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