Best/Most Interesting Crew Food?

[Flintstone]

Following on a thread elsewhere on this site I got to wondering who has had the most interesting crew food? I doubt it would be anyone in an airline because that's all pretty standard if varying in quality. No, it would be someone from our neck of the woods.

Mine would have to be that from Goose Bay where I'm convinced they plan for you to make a forced landing in the wilderness and live off the contents of the shoe-box for a week. From memory when I passed through there in Citation II's and Bravos there were six spicy chicken wings, two filled bread rolls, four chocolate biscuits, two packets of crisps, a piece of fresh fruit, a packet of dried fruit and two chocolate bars. All up about 5000 calories. :}

Most frustrating was from Montreal (Mirabel), again in the Citation so no food heating facilities, when we opened our boxes half way to Memphis to find frozen blueberry pancakes. We were at LRC which in an old SII meant not enough bleed air to keep your toes warm let alone heat breakfast using the foot warmer. I spent half an hour licking one before giving up.:(

I'm sure someone can top these by a long chalk.

[Time Traveller]

Not the meal, but what it came in...

A meal in Geneva many years back came packed in a huge amount of dry ice, which busily sublimated all over the vestibule.

The co-pilot was none the wiser, toiling away in the cockpit, so I slipped a chunk into my tea. His reaction as I noncholantly sipped from a vigorously smoking cup was priceless! :eek:

As to the best, when I subbed for a Spanish airline, the agent in Zaragoza would come out with a restaurant menu on arrival. We would pick our three course meal, and then for our departure several hours later, said meal would be delivered to us on the flightdeck. The agent, fueller etc would happily hovver, and not bother us until we were well and truly sated.

At another Spanish destination which was a new one for me, the taxi driver was most insistant that we should leave the hotel 2 1/2 hours before departure. Lacking any common language with the guy, we reluctantly co-operated and showed up after the rest, expecting to have to kill time. - Not at all - We were driven straight to a top restaurant for a slap up meal courtesy of the company, with the driver waiting outside, and only then were we driven over to the airport for the tedious matter of going aviating.

The Spanish air travel market may be pretty sick at the moment, but they sure knew how to look after their pilots!

[Green Cactus]

I think it was Biaritz, The difference between Captain and First-officer catering was the wine...:confused:

One red, one white.... Only in France.

GC

[buzzc152]

I've had Foie Gras a few times passing through Basle-Mulhouse. Yummy :ok:

[lear60fellow]

When we go to Tenerife south we never order food to the catering, it´s not the best. Instead we stop at the airport workers cantin and order there some nice "bocadillos" and other stuff that are quite delicious and not to say cheap, a 120€ bill on catering it´s just 10€ on the cantin and the food much better. I recommend that and take with you some nice Gazpacho if you stop at Málaga, but don´t burp to your collegue or he´ll need some aux oxygen to breath!!!!

[mutt]

I doubt it would be anyone in an airline....... We can phone up 24 hours prior to a flight and order whatever we desire, one story tells of a Captain ordering Bristol Bay Salmon and getting it~!

Friend recently rescued a tub of the finest Caviar from a flight attendant who's intention was to use it as a facial mask!

Mutt

[Flintstone]

Bloody hell Mutt, talk about propogate the myth that we're spoiled prima donnas.

As for caviar one of my (few) unbreakable rules in life is to never eat anything that comes from a fishes arse.

[HermanTheGerman]

Stewardess always ordered food in some very famous restaurant. not at the airport, but they very used to deliver first class catering. There was enough catering for everybody so one steak was left and my copilot and I shared it. Our hostie just warmed it up in the microwave.

we both agreed that this one was one of the best steaks both of us ever had. unbelivable, it was feeling like melting in the mouth. really good stuff- don't want to know the price!

[mutt]

The salmon was on a CARGO flight, I'm scared to tell you what we carry on our VVIP flights...... :):)

Mutt

[Flintstone]

They feed cargo crew? But aren't they just failed proper pilots?






:E

[mutt]

But aren't they just failed proper pilots?

So true, but we gotta keep them happy!!! :):):)

Mutt

(oops.... my local cargo buddy will now ban me from his barBQ's... :):))

[Flintstone]

Take cous cous and some of that fish arse food. He'll let you in then.

[Der_Fischmeister]

well all I can say,I remember the GOOD Times back in 2008,when catering cost werent a discussion,where Co-Pilots could eat and actually felt stuffed.

Then it started...the Sandwich time ....good ones ,bad ones ..

then the Crisis came ,baaaad stuff ,..since catering wasnt enough so Customers also ate crew Sandwiches ...

My little Sory in my short BIZ-Aviation Career...

BY the way ...any Lear 60 Job ???
Will FLY for Decend Food!!!

it´s....THE Fischmeister!!!

[Paradise Lost]

Some things just shouldn't be on your menus such as
I've had Foie Gras a few times passing through Basle-Mulhouse.
And frogs legs, and caviar and dogs or horses!

[ExcelXLS Driver]

Hi All,

My best meal would have to be after we touched down in Vnukovo for a week stop over and had to wait on the Citation for 2 hours while our passports were being processed. We had a nice selection of Lobster, Prawns, Cheese and the best part of Half a bottle of Dom Perignon!

Happy Days!

Now its just chocolate bars and cakes:{

[Grum]

Recently asked the boss for a payrise which unsupprisingly didn't materialise. However we still buy bottles of wine for €600. :mad: So the catering is still pretty top notch. Ate too much Backlava yesterday.

I've been recently introduced to Osetian pies which you'd never sample unless holidaying in the southern Caucasus. They are like two pizzas sandwiched together but so much more. The aircraft will require retrimming after consumption.

Stopped the hostee from serving mint jelly with the dessert the other day, cultural misunderstandings.

The French must think fish is a vegetable because a while back we polished off all of the tasty smoked salmon sandwiches provided for one Beatles' ex missus. :p

[Left Coaster]

Speaking of the "time of the sandwich..." I remember catering from KEF used to include some sort of meat in between two slices if stale bread-like stuff that was unidentifiable...catering claimed it was Icelandic pony penis...never ate the stuff myself, but it was fun to watch the FO's face after he/she asked what they just ate!:ooh:

[StressFree]

Well, this is easy - albino lobster with grated leopards nose sauce, I have it on most sectors, doesn't everyone else? :eek:

[redsnail]

It's not shaved cloud leopard claws or any thing like that.
It was a Greek isle (can't remember which one..) and the Handling Agent's wife did the crew food/catering.

I was new in NJE at the time and after night freight, any food was good but this was outstanding because it was simple but delicious.

Traditional chicken number with amazing potatoes. It wasn't cordon bleu but gees, it was hot and tasty.

I have had owners feeding me sushi and sashimi as well as a cold salad. (She absolutely insisted and wasn't leaving the cockpit until we'd eaten something.) I am sure every one has a similar story.

good times. :ok:

[Flintstone]

That wasn't the same greek destination where the handler put the crew up at his villa?

[redsnail]

I think so, sadly, we didn't stay. :( Many FBOs could learn from this guy.

[jetopa]

My best crew-catering came in LBG via DFS from the 'traiteur' (in English most likely: caterer) Le Nôtre in downtown Paris. They had very nice delicious ones called 'plateau repas', satisfying most every eating preference.

Wasn't too expensive either!

Also very good: Canonica.

[Gulfstreamaviator]

Feeding the Hawker crew tea and fruit cake.....

Left over Stolli vodka for supper.....they actually left some, that was the surprise.

those were the days.

[Tinstaafl]

Jeez. The only one that sticks in my mind was an ambulance flight to Aberdeen with a meal ordered for the return to Shetland. My memorycertainly isn't for for the wondrous quality of the meal: Sausages in congealed onion gravy with glutinous mashed potatoes. My comment to my other-half-to-be was 'how culinarily adventurous...' Still, better than soggy sandwiches for 20 odd quid each that were delivered another time.