This food review of the special meal vegetarian oriental Cathay Pacific in Economy Class was conducted by Accredited Practising Dietitian, Dr Gloria Leung
The second leg of my journey to Seoul from Australia saw me trying a Bland Meal on a flight from Hong Kong which was just under 4 hours and had one meal service. As someone who regularly experiences gastrointestinal issues on flights I had expected my gut to be at its worse during this flight, so when I saw Cathay Pacific offered a special meal option which was described as “Food/ beverages that are easily digestible, mildly seasoned and tender. Any food/ beverages that may cause gastric discomfort are avoided” I was keen to give it a try.
Main meal service
Lunch was served around 2 hours after take-off, and contained:
- A hot meal – a huge steamed/ boiled chicken breast, served with roasted potatoes, diced zucchini and tomatoes
- Some diced fruit
- Pineapple flavoured yoghurt
Note: Bread roll and drinks were not served with the tray.
I distinctly remember laughing at the hot meal with my siblings when I lifted the foil off the tray. It was such a huge piece of chicken breast, even for a meal served at a restaurant, let alone in economy class in the air. It was so thick that we laughed at my struggles trying to cut through it with my plastic knife. It was so dry that it was stringy, and there were no sauces or gravy, so I could feel the lump of chicken going down my throat as I swallowed it.
Nutrition comment
Except for being bland, this meal unfortunately didn’t meet its brief at all. It had a large protein portion (chicken breast and yoghurt), which in fact is not that easy to digest. The potatoes were either roasted or fried and were quite greasy, especially after being chilled and reheated. Being lactose intolerant, the dairy-based yoghurt was definitely a no-go for me. Dairy is not the best option for a ‘easy to digest’ meal, considering its high protein and fat content, meaning that it will sit in the stomach for quite a while.
Final thoughts on Special Meal Bland Meal Cathay Pacific Economy Food
It’s safe to say that I won’ be ordering the bland meal on Cathay Pacific again – no matter how much I experience gastrointestinal symptoms when flying. Although I would say that it is a great concept, considering the amount of people who experience gastric discomfort on flights, the execution wasn’t great. There are many ways to design meals that can help reduce gastrointestinal discomfort on flights and there are opportunities to increase the ingredients used (improving taste!). A starting place would be to avoid dairy and replace the dessert with a jelly cup or a sorbet instead – dairy foods are a common food that can cause gastrointestinal issues in people.
The meal did get some brownie points for providing me and my siblings with some entertainment during the flight.
For more special meal reviews on Cathay Pacific see special meal vegetarian oriental and special meal low lactose.
