09 March 2006

Random Recollections

While exploring options of air carriers to transport the family to the reunion, DH jokingly asked me if a certain one still offers peanuts. Just the mention of the name of that particular airline took me back to the same indescribable feeling I had the last time I traveled with them. It was the last leg of my journey home from Korea in December. I certainly didn't notice the snacks. (I always decline the snacks anyway-peanuts and pretzels-YUCK!) No, my mind was completely pre-occupied with one joyous and determined yearning, "Just get me home."

The opposite experience is that I still can't listen to some of the music on my MP3 player that I listened to in Korea. It is tunes that Justin plays on the piano, so, of course, when I heard them over there it made me too homesick. Now I can't play them without getting that sinking feeling in spite of being safely back home.

Speaking of airplane food-I highly recommend the vegetarian Indian cuisine on Singapore Air. A funny thing happened on the way home from Korea. I had my usual aisle seat. The fellow in the center seat whined about wanting my aisle seat so vehemently that I reluctantly agreed to swap with him. (And my evil little heart was gratified to discover that he ended up with a metal box under the seat in front of him which allowed him even less leg room than if he had stayed in the center. There is a REASON I like the aisle seat, but under the circumstances I could be gracious and trade. He could hardly ask to swap back!) Turns out the lady in the window seat was his wife. She didn't have any objection at all to not having to sit beside him so, I ended up between them the whole trip. This confused the flight attendants. Somehow they thought she was me and I was her. Evidently I was the only one on the flight who had requested a Western vegetarian meal, which they accidently gave to my seatmate on the window side. Apologetically, they offered me the only remaining alternative-her Indian vegetarian meal. So, while the dear lady from India beside me was poking doubtfully at a slimy omelette thing, I was smacking my lips over tastily flavored rice and lentils and some kind of vegie meat ball. Under the circumstances, she could hardly ask to swap!

On the other hand, I can't recommend the food on Thai Air between Incheon and Hong-Kong at all. It was a total barf bag.

2 comments:

Mama Bird said...

Hee, hee. I think I'll be chuckling all day over these stories. Never mind the fog outside, I've got funny stories to giggle about! :D

Me, I always take a bottle of water and "emergency provisions" along on planes--you never know what sort of nasty stuff (if anything at all!) they'll send your way...

Patty said...

On my trip from Paris to Israel I decided to get a Kosher meal. I got this nice tightly wrapped "plate" and the food was o.k. Kinda plain. The people all around me had the regular meal. French food and pasteries galore.
Needless to say I didn't go for Kosher on the way home.