What Anthony Bourdain Really Thought About Airplane Food

When you're craving a good meal, your mind likely doesn't immediately wish for airplane food. To most people, meals eaten sky high often have a pretty low reputation. After all, we know there isn't a full-sized chef's kitchen on most aircraft, so who knows where airline food is even coming from? Anthony Bourdain always felt similarly. Despite having tried cuisines all over the world, the food connoisseur once said he "never" ate airplane food.

"No one has ever felt better after eating plane food," Bourdain told Bon Appétit in 2016. "I think people only eat it because they're bored. I don't eat on planes. I like to arrive hungry," he said. Bourdain did have one exception to the rule, though, and it was something he only ate when he was going to be stuck on a flight for hours: cheese. "Maybe port and some cheese, if it's a really long flight," he once told Travel and Leisure. Port is an exceptionally sweet wine from Portugal that's fortified with a neutral spirit during its fermentation process, giving it a distinct flavor and higher alcohol content than most other wines. Bourdain didn't specify whether he flew business class or economy, and, of course, what you're actually served depends on your seat. However, it seems that no matter where he sat, hot airplane food was off limits.

Anthony Bourdain wasn't the first person to ever willingly pass up airplane food — lots of people aren't too excited about it. While airplane food is reheated on the plane, it's not made there. Rather, it comes from massive commercial kitchens, usually through catering companies that are hired by specific airlines. And each meal could be different depending on what airport you're flying out of or what's on the rotating menu for that flight. "The food can't possibly be that good... The conditions that they're working in, there's not much they can do," Bourdain told Travel and Leisure, adding that "every food tastes completely different than it does on the ground, so they have to make adjustments to it."

But Bourdain wasn't so wrong about preferring cheese on a flight. Hard cheeses, such as Babybel varieties, packaged string cheese, or sliced cheddar are good snack choices because they're easy to pack — especially the individually packaged ones. To dine like Bourdain, pack some of his favorites; he loved Stichelton and provolone. While it's not ideal to drink on a plane, and you might want to skip Bourdain's advice there, packing some grapes and crackers to pair with your cheese is a good choice. Some hard cheeses like cheddar or a block of Parmesan don't always need to be refrigerated before they're opened, per the USDA. However, once opened, bring an ice pack to keep them cold.