FOOD FRIDAY - TRAVEL FOOD

“Preach not to others what they should eat, but eat as becomes you, and be silent.” – Epictetus

We are travelling to Singapore where I have two work commitments, but I have also taken a couple of days off for relaxation. I always enjoy visiting Singapore as it is a compact country/city, which is very diverse and cosmopolitan, with a multitude of things to see and do. It is a vibrant place where things are always changing and new developments mushroom into existence seemingly overnight. Every time we visit we notice changes, new buildings, renovations, new services and widespread improvements throughout the city. The people are friendly, polite and nearly everyone speaks English well.

As it has been a period of travel, I shall blog about airline food. One of the advantages of travelling with our local airline Qantas is that I can use the Qantas Club, of which I am a member. This is a very handy lounge that members can use prior to travelling and where they can relax, snack on some food, have a drink and meet friends or colleagues. We were able to use the Business Lounge prior to travelling and this was a very peaceful and spacious place in which to begin our trip. An added bonus was a lunchtime snack by Neil Perry, on which we feasted. This was a plate composed of fried paper-thin pancetta, blanched asparagus with lemon oil and grated celeriac with seeded mustard dressing. It went very well with a Domaine Chandon sparkling wine. This was followed by some fried whitebait and French fries.

This little repast kept us going until we got on the plane. The food on planes can be a lucky dip. On this occasion, we had an Asian chicken dish with rice and steamed Chinese greens. It was quite tasty and spicily fragrant. The flight to Singapore form Melbourne is just over seven hours and the crew kept plying us with drinks, snacks, fruit and various other tidbits. Even if one is not hungry, one is tempted to nibble as it passes the time!

I would say that over the last ten years or so, airline food has deteriorated – at least in the Economy cabin. This is in terms of the food provided, the crockery and cutlery (which have degenerated to plastic!), as well as in terms of the service. I suppose that the airlines were hard hit when the oil price rose, but I remember with fondness the good old times, where some airlines had an excellent food service and even boasted a gourmet food offering even in the economy cabin. Business class still has an excellent dinner service, and I suspect even more so in first.

At the Hotel we have a Club Room, which once again allows us to have breakfast there, enjoy all day beverages and snacks, and evening cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. It is worth using this type of facility as it can give one a feeling of a home away form home. Always something to look forward too after a busy day working or sightseeing.