Page 20 - Seniors Toady March 2020
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before boarding I had met two other friends
who were on the same flight. Everyone who
passed our aisle had an odd expression on
their face.
By then the airhostess fortunately began
serving the food; I ate mine and pretended
to fall asleep. I must have actually dozed off
only to be woken up to be told to fasten my
seat belt. We said goodbye to each other once
we landed.
In those days air travel was completely With options being limited, maybe carrying one’s own food
different from what it is today. It was a isn’t such a bad idea
smart thing to know someone in Indian the stale oil. This was the quality of food in
Airlines who could put in a word and get business class.
you a ticket. And could also condone your The domestic aircraft are tacky, worn-
excess baggage. Airline jobs were considered out, the upholstery needs to be changed,
amongst the top-end jobs especially in the the toilets are broken, the seats are loose
marriage market. You got a quota of free and overall it’s a pathetic experience. On
travel and the ones who managed to get a another occasion on the domestic sector, Air
job in Air India could take their family to India served only vegetarian food, I can’t
various international destinations wherever understand whether this is cost-cutting or
the airline flew. a Hindutva factor. On another occasion, for
breakfast they served a sambar vada and
Leaving a bad taste upma. The vada could have been a little
In the last two weeks I have had to travel bit warmer and the chutney was ok, the
on four Air India flights, one Spice Jet and chai was cold… take-it-or-leave-it kind. Air
one Indigo. It’s difficult to say which airline India’s cutlery is wooden spoons that lasts
food was worse than the other. I travelled just about for the duration of the meal. The
Mumbai-Delhi on an international Air India plastic containers are downright cheap and
flight. There was kheema mattar, a beetroot the tissue is what you would get at a grade
tikki, methi paratha. The methi paratha was three restaurant.
burnt from on the outside and uncooked in On one evening flight with Air India there
the inside - you could get the raw atta taste was dal, chawal and an arbi sabji. On all
in your mouth. The beetroot tikki had more three Air India flights I conversed with the
bread than beetroot, the kheema mattar was staff and asked them whether they actually
a tomato gravy with some green peas and ate this food day after day. For it could have
even less kheema. There was no salad but a long-term effect on their dietary and gut
a pakodi chat topped with imli ki chutney health.
and a little bhujia on top. When you make The chief airhostess said she brought her
pakodis you fry and freeze them. When they own food and didn’t eat any of this. The
are served, one blanches the pakodis in hot married boys said they got their own food.
water to get rid of the oil. But this pakodi They didn’t eat the airline food. Two of
chat was abysmal. It seemed that the caterer the girls said that they had no choice since
had skipped blanching; one bite into the they were not from Mumbai, they stayed
pakodi and your mouth was filled with all as paying guests and couldn’t cook on their
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