In-flight Meals

Until recently we would expect free food, if only peanuts, when taking a commercial flight. In-flight meals came a long way when in the beginning, with unpressurized cabins and the planes flying low hitting turbulence was a given. The main concern with passenger flights was deciding how many air sickness bags to carry and not what food to serve. My parents fled to Hong Kong in 1949 where I was born upon arrival. Life was difficult and it took a few years before my father found a job with Hong Kong Airways. In 1956 the airline introduced a new Viscount V.700 series plane and arranged a test flight over Hong Kong for publicity. My father brought me along, and was able to sneak me on board and signaled me to sit in back. Some time into the flight a very pretty lady came by, smiled at me and gave me some water in a wine glass and a finger sandwich, probably left over from the service up front. It was a plain butter sandwich and it tasted really good. I don’t know whether it was the sandwich or the pretty lady, but from that moment on I became fascinated with airplane food… I have a photo of that flight. Please note the large oval window. You won't find that in modern planes.