Guru of Gluttony #2: China Southern Airlines In-flight Meal

Hello Steempunks:

On my way back home from London, I flew with China Southern Airlines (CZ). First from London to Guangzhou, then to my home base city, Brisbane. So far, it's been the second longest amount of flying I've done at a time (the longest being Chicago->Los Angeles->Melbourne->Brisbane).

I wasn't sure what to expect with CZ's in-flight meals. I had an inkling that they would be at least vaguely Chinese and, at the very lowest level, superficially representative of local cuisine, but I also wondered at the same time that given the volume of travelers that may not be accustomed to Chinese food, how the meals would appeal to them. For example, on my flight, there looked to be a roughly 70:30 ratio of Chinese:non-Chinese passengers.

The total flight time was 11 hours. The first meal was served about 2 hours in and the second about 2 hours before landing.

I need to apologize in advance about the lack of quality and number of photos for this post - the stewardesses had restricted all phone and tablet use during the flight, so all these pictures were taken hastily and whilst nobody was nearby.

The first meal, ostensibly the dinner meal, consisted of four overall items: a bread roll, a salad, a main and a dessert. Oh, and two drinks!

The meals were served in several stages - everyone received their first drink. There were the usual choices that were standard across each long-haul flight with the noticeable exception of alcohol. I always ask for an orange juice because it's easy to request and, on this particular flight, the stewardesses did not have perfect English and always initiated conversations in Chinese.

We then received our meal tray with a number of containers, including the salad and the dessert (which came clingwrapped in the non-disposable bowls. Was there someone employed somewhere to wrap each and every bowl before every flight?). The tray itself featured a grippy surface which prevented containers, especially cups, from moving about. I got a chance to test this out when we happened to enter a pocket of turbulence briefly during serving. During this turbulence, the diligent stewardesses started to give out bread rolls from large baskets they were carrying between them. I thought it added a homely touch and gave the impression that the bread was fresh.

During the second stage, someone would roll by with a second cart taking orders for and then giving out mains. The two options were beef and rice or chicken and potato. It was pretty obvious who of what ethnicity was expected to choose what but I wondered what of any vegetarian or vegan options? These came in foil-sealed disposable containers, identical to that which I'd been served on other flights.

I ate my bread roll first, since it was the only item exposed to air. It came with a butter packet.

In spite of its appearance, it felt like it had been exposed for a while. The crust wasn't chewy like fresh bread usually is and the inside was starting to feel deflated as I would bite into it. As i broke it with my fingers, flakes of crust would fall off, so I had to be mindful about how I ate it.

The salad turned out to be a potato salad with smoked salmon and half a cherry tomato. I was very impressed with this dish, especially since I'd never been served salmon as part of an in-flight meal. It was fresh and there was an everso slight addition of pepper to deepen the flavor.

I'd ordered the beef and rice for my main. When i opened it up, the beef and rice were evenly separated and there was some chinese cabbage to the side. The first thing I thought of were the poor vegetarians who would otherwise have to experience a rather bland meal.

I apologize greatly for the low quality of this picture

The beef was actually quite good. Like the salad dish, it had a faint spiciness that enhanced the already-wide range of flavors present in the beef sauce. I found that it was a little strong, and so would have appreciated a little less meat and a little more rice. It was during this time I was asked about my second drink, and requested a black tea.

Initially I couldn't tell if the other sealed dish was a dessert or another starter until i opened and scoped it out (I thought it was a slice of quiche), but I set it aside and saved it for last.

It turned out to be an apricot-almond slice of some sort. It tasted just like those almond fingers we can get at grocery stores in Australia (that either have apple or apricot puree inside them). I recognized the flavor immediately. For better or worse, it had a crumbly texture, but the fruit was soft and I suspected it had been slightly brandied or had orange rinds added to it.

At some point early during my meal one of the stewardesses asked if I was finished and offered to take my tray. I couldn't tell if she was being premature because it could have been a combination of my being served last combined with my naturally slow eating and stopping to write notes that led to me thinking she was eager to take it away.

^ no phones allowed

^ beautiful sky over China

^ our plane!