The gate staff announced there would be a delay as CC 'had already had a long day and needed a meal break'. I was told that some EZY pilots are insisting that meal breaks are taken, even if this means delaying the flight.
This is an old EZY issue that is just resurfacing. A while ago they declared that meals could not be eaten on short sectors, as that was detrimental to flight safety. And then they declared that meals could not be eaten on the ground, as it was delaying flights. Go figure.
As to bringing your own food. Firstly, we pay for the awful food provided. Secondly, there are still airports with bolshy security that will take many types of food off you (gravy is liquid). And there are also many boIshy CC who will deliberately bring in the hot dinner half way down the descent (too busy before....). This is not the silver-platter world of BOAC, this is the world of the Greasy Spoon truck stop, filling up 20 mugs of tea without lifing the spout and dropping some fag-ash in the last three cups.