When Jenkins and I booked our flights to Peru, we quickly realized that there was no direct flight to Peru from Vancouver. We flew to LA and from there, hopped onto a LAN Airlines flight to Lima in Peru. We had never heard of LAN Airlines before our trip but it is a part of the One World Alliance and has flights to several South American cities and countries.
After we had settled in on our flight, the flight attendants started bringing around drinks for everyone. I was going to have my usual flight drink of tomato juice until I spied a bottle of Inca Kola on the drink buggy. I first learned about Inca Kola when I was researching foods I wanted to try in Peru. It is almost as popular as Coca Cola in Peru and seems to be only available in that country (although I could be wrong). Taste wise, it is actually very similar to cream soda although slightly sweeter. I’m not a big soda fan but the Inca Kola was still interesting to try.
Jenkins lucked out and snagged the last lunch meal of Teriyaki chicken available. The chicken was actually not bad for airplane food and the fried rice that accompanied it was acceptable. The dessert was a dulce de leche sponge cake was only ok in my opinion but Jenkins seemed to enjoy it more than I did.
Since the plane had run out of Teriyaki chicken, I was stuck with the vegetarian cannelloni. I should have suspected something was amiss when we were sitting in the middle of the plane and everyone in front of us had already chosen the other lunch options! The pasta was mushy and there was way too much ricotta filling. The tomato sauce was also too sweet and just plain did not taste very good. Luckily for me, I had the salad, bread, and cake to fill me up instead.
We flew with LAN airlines for all our internal flights within Peru as well as the flight from Lima to LA. Although we were impressed that we were always given snacks and drinks regardless of how short the flight was, the food itself just never tasted very good in my opinion. Jenkins said that my expectations were too high for airline food but I think that was only because I had some pretty good experiences on other flights. 
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Review: Japan Airlines Lunch
Narita: Beard Papa’s
Airplane Food: Lufthansa
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November 25th, 2009 at 7:00 am
I had Inka Kola while in Panama. I am sure I have seen it locally here in some Latin restaurants. I will have to double-check that for you!
I will have to agree with Jenkins on airplane food. Although I am sure there are some airlines serving above average food (those based on Asia?), I think they would be more the exception than the rule. More often than not, I prefer to buy snacks (either beforehand or after security check) rather than eat that.
Oh, that cup-holder is looks quite interesting!
November 25th, 2009 at 9:17 am
@KimHo – oh interesting! I have never seen Inca Kola sold here so Jenkins would be happy to know it’s available somewhere.
What type of snacks do you normally bring? I usually bring snacks too but have yet to find an easy-to-bring meal to replace lunch/dinner.
Yes, I like the cup holders that hang off the seat because then it doesn’t take up space on my tray. On the downside, I have to be careful of the person in front of me reclining their seat too much!
November 25th, 2009 at 10:06 am
I usually bring granola, trail mix or something that contains nuts or peanuts (remember, peanuts is not a nut but a legume!). No particular reason other than I can put it in my laptop bag and I am not afraid it will “break” down – something that happened when I foolishly brought some Lesley Stowe’s raincoast crisps. (Of course, I took them out of the box and put them in a resealable bag). For my last trip to New Jersey, I brought almond clusters from True North.
Now, from YVR to end destination (as in airport, not necessarily hotel – usually East Coast/Central), with two exceptions, none of my trips have lasted more than 10 hours. Since more often than not I fly to North America (Panama being the exception), I use to snack just to temporarily hold the hunger, not as a meal replacement. That is because I want to arrive hungry/tired, eat something and crash right away to hasten my adjustment time. After all, I have to work the following morning!
November 27th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
When flying by myself between North American destinations, I usually eat a meal at the airport before boarding the flight. I try not to take snacks on board to avoid the hassle of dealing with additional carry-on items at security; but my wife has been known to take fruits, or a slice of cake, or most recently, even a pack of unagi yakitori onboard.
The seats on LAN look very up-to-date; I see the edge of the in-seat VoD system along with the flip-out cupholder. You must’ve been flying on one of their A340s or 767s?
It’s good to hear LAN serves meals on short flights. At least not all airlines have cut service to the bone like the North American ones. I’d also agree with you that not all airline food is bad – the meals served on my most recent SIA, ANA, and even Air France flights have been more than edible.
November 28th, 2009 at 10:18 am
@KimHo – yeah, I bring trail mix too! Your strategy of holding your hunger off until you get to your destination seems like it works …I may have to give that a try the next time I travel.
@ET – I’m not sure what model of plane I was riding on LAN…I think maybe 767?
November 30th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Wow, Gigi you even review the airplane food! I tend to also buy something before I board, and eat it on the plane or before. I don’t really rely on the airplane food and I don’t expect it to be really good. I have had your similar experience with pasta being the worst, and chicken being the best on flights, though. It seems that chicken just can hold better than pasta can with their system.
I like fast food burgers before flights! They tide you over!
December 1st, 2009 at 12:56 am
I love it!! A post on airplane food! I’ve never seen this done before. I think you’re the first….at least first I’ve seen.
December 1st, 2009 at 10:04 am
@Nancy – haha…fast food burgers are a nice indulgence before you go on a plane! I always wish there are more food selections after you cross the security checkpoints. It seems like the best stuff is always before!
@Follow Me Foodie – to tell you the truth, I was inspired by Ben from Chowtime’s airplane posts. I’m not sure if he still does it as I haven’t seen any lately but he used to write them up all the time!