We’ll have to take the New York Times’ word on it, but they say that First Class meals on airlines are getting increasingly decadent as coach passengers cling with desperation to a maxipad-sized package of trail mix. From the NYT:

Charlie Trotter, the Chicago chef, will soon introduce dishes created for premier United Airlines passengers. (Mr. Trotter’s personal tip? Try the short ribs spiced with Thai-style barbecue sauce.)

And on Emirates, chefs from nine luxury Jumeirah hotels recently began cooking airline meals, adding to a menu that included roasted lobster and veal with pumpkin bathed in coconut cream.

While the masses packed into economy continue to suffer through meals that seem to taste worse, cost extra or don’t exist at all, a resurgence in the excesses of airline dining is swirling through first- and some business-class cabins.

One regular first class passenger complains: “You don’t want a five-course meal on an airplane,” she said. “It’s almost an intrusion, the amount of courses that are being served.” Airlines are so focused on the dietary needs of first class passengers that their leftovers are weighed and studied so the airline can get it right next time. And you thought they didn’t care. —MEGHANN MARCO

What’s Cooking in First Class? [NYT]
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