cheryl
Administrator
Staff member
Food really does taste different on airplanes—here’s how to use that to your advantage - Well and Good
When it comes to airplane food, the general consensus is that it’s…well, not great, Bob! The work-around has long been to bring your own food on board (whether it’s airport fare or stuff you brought from home), but even if it makes it through TSA security, it probably won’t taste nearly as good as it normally does on land. Sure, the fact that you’re forced to eat it in a cramped corner while trying not to offend the stranger sharing your armrest certainly doesn’t help, but TIL that elevation literally changes the taste of food…and usually not for the better.
According to food scientist Herbert Stone, PhD, who worked on food for the Apollo Moon Mission, there are very specific ways elevation affects how something tastes. “Elevation makes the air colder—and airplanes are already kept quite cold—and when the oral cavity is cooled, we don’t taste things as well,” he explains. He says that when food—or its surrounding temps—make your mouth either too hot or too cold, your receptors start working on overdrive to get it the temperature back to where it should be. That slows down the process of sensing—and therefore enjoying—what you’re eating.
When it comes to airplane food, the general consensus is that it’s…well, not great, Bob! The work-around has long been to bring your own food on board (whether it’s airport fare or stuff you brought from home), but even if it makes it through TSA security, it probably won’t taste nearly as good as it normally does on land. Sure, the fact that you’re forced to eat it in a cramped corner while trying not to offend the stranger sharing your armrest certainly doesn’t help, but TIL that elevation literally changes the taste of food…and usually not for the better.
According to food scientist Herbert Stone, PhD, who worked on food for the Apollo Moon Mission, there are very specific ways elevation affects how something tastes. “Elevation makes the air colder—and airplanes are already kept quite cold—and when the oral cavity is cooled, we don’t taste things as well,” he explains. He says that when food—or its surrounding temps—make your mouth either too hot or too cold, your receptors start working on overdrive to get it the temperature back to where it should be. That slows down the process of sensing—and therefore enjoying—what you’re eating.