View
217
Download
3
Category
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
Â
Citation preview
AN AIRPLANE FOOD STORY By Tram Nguyen
HELLO, VIETNAM AIRLINES WELCOMES
YOU ON BOARD. THIS IS CAPTAIN
SPEAKING. YOU ARE ON FLIGHT VN307
FROM NEW YORK TO HANOI.
WHY ARE YOU
GOING TO HANOI?
WELL, I’M NOT GOING THERE.
NOT ANYWHERE, ACTUALLY.
AS A RESTAURANT CRITIC, I’M
HERE JUST FOR THE FOOD.
THIS MONTH I’M WORKING
WITH VARIOUS AIRLINES TO
EVALUATE THEIR MEAL SERVICE.
MY JOURNEY IS A CONSTANT
TRANSIT-- I WILL BE FLYING
MOST OF THE TIME.
I CERTAINLY PREFER TO
EVALUATE RESTAURANTS
ON THE GROUND. FOOD
TASTES GOOD THERE.
EATING ABOVE THE CLOUDS
IS NEVER ENJOYABLE…
…BECAUSE ALL OF YOUR
SENSES ARE AFFECTED BY…
BY…
LAC
K O
F HU
MID
ITY
BA
CK
GR
OU
ND
NO
ISE
LOW AIR PRESSURE
I MAY NOT BE THE BEST PERSON
TO COMMENT ON AIRPLANE
FOOD. THIS IS ONLY MY SECOND
FLIGHT. I’M GOING BACK HOME
TO VIETNAM AFTER TWO YEARS
STUDYING IN THE U.S. I HAVEN’T
BEEN ABLE TO REGULARLY EAT
VIETNAMESE FOOD ON CAMPUS,
SO I’M PRETTY EXCITED TO SEE
WHAT KIND OF MEAL THIS
AIRLINE WILL SERVE US TODAY.
HOWEVER, LAST TIME WHEN I
WAS FLYING FROM HANOI TO
NEW YORK, I VOMITTED ALL THE
FOOD I HAD CONSUMED. I FELT
LIKE MY NORMAL SENSE OF TASTE
HAD BEEN LEFT BEHIND THE
AIRPORT DEPARTURE GATE.
NOT SURE IF THE
FOOD WAS
UNSAFE OR IT
WAS BECAUSE OF
MY INAPPETENCE
AFTER SAYING
GOODBYE TO MY
FAMILY.
I BELIEVE THAT INFLIGHT
MEALS ARE VERY SAFE
DESPITE THEIR BAD
REPUTATION.
THE PREPARATION,
PRESERVATION,
AND DELIVERY OF
MEALS IS AN
INCLUSIVE
PROCESS THAT
STRICTLY FOLLOWS
SAFTETY
STANDARDS.
ATTENTION PLEASE! IT’S
LUNCH TIME! PLEASE LOOK AT
OUR MENU, WHICH FEATURES
AUTHENTIC VIETNAMESE
FLAVORS DERIVED FROM
TRADITIONAL RECIPES.
I DIDN’T EXPECT THE
FOOD TO TASTE THIS
GOOD. I LOVE NEM, VERY NICE AND
CRISPY, BUT THE REST IS
JUST UNAPPETIZING. THE
VEGETABLES IN BÁNH MÌ
ARE NO LONGER FRESH, PHỞ
NEEDS BETTER SEASONING,
AND WATERMELON TASTES
BLAND.
WE WERE MASS PRODUCED,
PASTEURIZED, AND PREPARED 8-12
HOURS BEFORE BEING SERVED. THE
ORIGINAL RECIPES MUST BE MODIFIED.
WHAT EXACTLY DID HE EXPECT?
I HAVE NEVER BEEN
SATISFIED WITH INFLIGHT
DINING. IT IS MUCH MORE
CONVENIENT AND FUN TO
EAT IN A NORMAL
RESTAURANT.
IN A RESTAURANT ON THE GROUND
MEANWHILE,
ON AN
AIRPLANE…
EAT IN VERY CLOSE
PROXIMITY WITH A BUNCH
OF STRANGERS
IN CASE OF
TURBULENCE,
FOOD WILL FALL
ALL OVER
BE TOLD OF
SPECIFIC TIME
TO EAT AND
NOT TO EAT
EAT AT MY
OWN PACE
SHARE AN INTIMATE
DINING SPACE WITH
KNOWN COMPANIONS
CHOOSE FROM A WIDE
ARRAY OF FOOD OPTIONS
AS A FOOD CRITIC, YOU NOT
ONLY EVALUATE THE
QUALITY OF DIFFERENT
DISHES, BUT ALSO PAY
CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE
DINING SPACE. WHAT IF
THIS AIRPLANE HAS AN
INTERIOR DESIGN THAT
BRINGS YOU THE SAME
COMFORT THAT YOU CAN
EXPERIENCE IN A
RESTAURANT ON THE
GROUND?
THERE IS NO SUCH COMFORT.
ON THE AIRPLANE, I’M TRAPPED
INSIDE A PERPLEXING WORLD
OF BOTH STATICITY AND
CEASELESS MOVEMENT. I NO
LONGER HAVE A SENSE OF TIME
AND SPACE. MY IDENTITY IS
WITHHELD FROM ME; I’M LIKE A
DUPLICATE COPY OF MYSELF.
MY BODY IS IN THIS PLACE, BUT
MY MIND IS OUT OF PLACE.
PERHAPS I COULD CALL THE
AIRPLANE A NON-PLACE. IN A
NON-PLACE, FOOD IS MERELY A
NOURISHING SUBSTANCE THAT
SUSTAINS MY BODY, OFFERING
NOTHING BUT ITS MATERIAL
REALITY.
THE FOOD HERE ADOPTS THE
TEMPORAL, TRANSIENT
QUALITY OF A NON-PLACE. I
FEEL SO INSECURED
WHENEVER DINING ON AN
AIRPLANE, AS IF WHAT I HAVE
CONSUMED DOES NOT TRULY
BELONG TO MY BODY. A
WEIRD FEELING, INDEED! TO
EASE MY ANXIETY, I ALWAYS
BRING SOME HOMEMADE
SNACKS ON BOARD. I NEVER
DO THE SAME WHEN GOING
TO A RESTAURANT ON THE
GROUND, THOUGH.
I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU MEAN. OUR TASTE BUDS
REALLY DEPEND ON OUR OWN PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS
THE DINING SPACE. I AGREE WITH YOU THAT THE AIRPLANE
IS A NON-PLACE WHERE NEITHER IDENTITY NOR HISTORY
CAN BE RECOGNIZED, PRESERVED, OR INTERPRETED.
HOWEVER, WHILE YOU FIND YOURSELF ISOLATED FROM
THIS FLEETING SPACE, I DON’T FEEL THE SAME.
TO ME, A SENSE OF PLACE IS NOT RELATED TO
WHETHER YOU’RE DINING ON THE GROUND OR ON
THE SKY, IN A PLACE OR IN A NON-PLACE.
EVEN WHEN I ATE IN FANCY VIETNAMESE RESTAURANTS IN THE U.S., I
STILL FELT DISLOCATED. HOWEVER, SITTING INSIDE THIS PRESSURIZED
CABIN RIGHT NOW, I NO LONGER SUFFER A SENSE OF PLACELESSNESS.
DESPITE THE AMBIGUITY OF TIME
AND SPACE ON THE AIRPLANE, THE
DINING EXPERIENCE TODAY
MAKES ME FEEL AT HOME.
INFLIGHT FOOD ALLOWS
ME TO HAVE A SAMPLE
FLAVOR OF MY
HOMELAND. IT EVEN
TASTES BETTER THAN
ANYTHING I’VE EATEN IN
THE U.S.
? THE
END
IN THE REMAINING FLIGHTS OF
MY JOURNEY, I HOPE TO
DEVELOP A HIGHER
CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE
TRANSITIONAL SPACE. PERHAPS
I WILL HAVE SOME DELIGHTFUL
EXPERIENCES EVEN IN A NON-
PLACE, WHERE I CAN NO
LONGER CLING TO MY NOTIONS
OF NORMALITY. AS I
INCREASINGLY GET USED TO
INFLIGHT MEALS, I’M EAGER TO
SEE WHETHER MY CRITERIA FOR
WHAT CONSTITUTES A FINE
DINING EXPERIENCE WILL
CHANGE, TOO.
HMM, REMEMBER HOW YOU VOMMITTED
EVERYTHING DURING YOUR FIRST FLIGHT TO
THE U.S.? IT IS THE DIRECTION OF THE
AIRPLANE THAT AFFECTS YOUR APPETITE.
TODAY, YOU LIKE THE FOOD JUST BECAUSE IT
PROMISES THE ARRIVAL OF YOUR DESIRED
LOCATION.
YOU HAVE A DEEP ATTACHMENT
TO A SPECIFIC DESTINATION
CONCERNED WITH YOUR
IDENTITY, WHILE I DON’T, AT
LEAST ON THIS JOURNEY. I’ll BE
TRANSFERING FROM AIRPLANE
TO AIRPLANE, IMMERSING
MYSELF IN AN IN-BETWEEN
SPACE THAT BOTH CONNECTS
AND SEPARATES. BEING NEITHER
HERE NOR THERE, I CAN FOCUS
MORE ON EVALUATING THE
ACTUAL PRESENCE OF MY
DINING EXPERIENCE. YOUR
ATTITUDE TOWARDS INFLIGHT
FOOD, HOWEVER, IS MORE
CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH
YOUR PAST EXPERIENCES AND
AN IMPLIED FUTURE.
Recommended