flanneruk,
Now you are talkin'

My favorite thing to bring on a flight is sushi, the sort that you can get in grocery stores these days. And in Atlanta you don't even have to go to the grocery store to get it, as they sell it right in the airport. Particularly convenient are these small kiosks that look like closets when closed, a wall of shelving when open. Nothing exotic, of course, basically just California or veggie rolls, but just right in terms of portability and low mess.

Flew first class to Vancouver last week, and the food, although marginally better than economy, was pretty close to disgusting. I'd foregone my usual sushi and very much regretted it.

I'd second the Sushi recommendation.

Light to carry, but perhaps a bit smelly for some, tho.

Now you guys are talking! Dean and Deluca, sushi, chicken ceasar salad...much better than a boring ol' sandwhich with a granola bar.

P.S. Koshka, if you're buying sushi that smells, you're buying the wrong kind of sushi.

Heading east, usually overnight, usually to London, we prefer to eat at the airport -- especially now that check-in time is way ahead of takeoff. The BA terminal at JFK has a casual eating place where you can get a very good club sandwich and a glass of wine (there's McD's and a deli too, of course). Then we're well fed and ready to sleep. I just take a bottle of water, and we're all set till breakfast time in the Caffe d'Italia at Heathrow terminal 4. (For some reason, BA insists on serving the most awful pseudo muffins, cold and damp, and try to call that breakfast. No thanks, I'll just have a cuppa. It's still the middle of the night on my internal clock.)

Coming home, I'm addicted to the Pret a Manger in the departure lounge -- croissant, good coffee, Greek yoghurt with fruit and granola. And actually, the BA food in that direction is not too bad. For plane food, at least.

I seldom have enough room in my carry-on to take major snackage. Too many other must-haves in case my checked luggage goes astray.

flanneruk - I have absolutely no objections whatsoever to a delicious garlicky salami, so long as I'm the one eating it. Sitting next to somoeone else eating one in the confines of a plane seat and having them breathe the fumes over me for 9 hours is another matter altogether! It's not jealousy either, since whenever I'm flying anywhere, I'm usually confident that the food I'll be eating in a few hours time will beat anything that someone prepared and packed in their carry-on several hours ago. So I'm quite content to put up with the muck that passes for airline meals for the duration of the flight.

As for me flying to the wrong continent, I'm not sure which continent you're referring to since I was born in Europe and have lived here all my life. I've always felt entirely comfortable in all the countries I've travelled to in both Europe and Asia, but I prefer not to have garlic breathed on me if I've not been eating it myself, and out of respect for my fellow passengers, I don't intend eating a raw clove or two before a long haul flight, just in case my neighbour pulls out his salami, so to speak :-)

Depending on the length of the flight, I pack:

protein bars
cheese
meat (sliced)
fruit & nut mix
Evian

I may reconsider bringing summer sausage 'cuz it can be smelly and I seriously don't want to annoy my fellow passengers.

I knew there was a reason to fly in First Class...it isn't the smell of the garlicky salami that might be bad..it's your BREATH after you've eaten it that's so hard to put up with!

I prefer anything that causes severe flatulence, makes people leave you alone and you can sleep easier with an empty seat next to you ! ;)

The little wife and I usually fly on Sunday so we don't miss our normal meal routine. We restrict portion sizes a tad since all of the items below must fit in to a 22" carry-on:

Fried chicken
Baked beans
Hush puppies
Fried cheese grits
Squash casserole
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Chicken gravy
Field peas
Fried okra
Corn bread
Watermelon
Peach pie

I pack a huge bag of chips, candy, I let them (airline) provide me with the soda. They can not mess that up. I will not bring cheese, or else I will be in the bathroom the whole flight.

Well, I_am_anonymous, I don't think it's smelly, but you *never* know what someone else might think. Tho I can put up with a few "Ewww, gross!"s to have my sushi.

DEGAS
I see your following the Weight Watchers plan...........
Would you be interested in catering our next flight??

Good Question. I like Costco's trail mix, a handful now and then has saved my from getting tired and stupid when I've been delayed and had to rush to another nonfood flight. Peanut Butter and Jelly is good with a cup of coffee.
I often stop at Danny and Clydes for Shrimp Poboys when leaving New Orleans but...last time I left New Orleans the security person made me through away my take-out from Copelands. I told her I had called Delta and they said a food package would not count as a carry-on. She said "you have three things" So I put my purse in my shoulder bag. Then she said "You can eat it here or stay here."
My point is... Don't invest too much in a gourmet carry-on(not that Copelands is Gourmet)because a cranky guard may interpret their directions very subjectively. No one wants to miss a flight by having a situation at security.
Also...in Salt Lake City there is a Starbucks on the outside of the security gate...sometimes they let you take a drink through and sometimes they don't.
Happy travels.
Emily

A comment re sushi: lots of sushi is made with cooked fish or with vegetables. "Sushi" refers to the rice, not to raw fish, and the "grocery store" sort doesn't involve much in the way of raw or smelly. Nor should more exotic sorts that involve raw fish be very smelly either.

A flight from Milan to Atlanta about a year ago was delayed, so I got a mortadella (known as bologna in the U.S.) sandwich from the airport concession stand. It was too large to finish, so I wrapped up the remainder for later. When the airplane meal turned out to be positively revolting I was the subject of many envious stares.

Coffee on a recent flight from Atlanta to Vancouver was so foul that I very nearly spit out the one sip I'd taken. I gave it back to the flight attendant, pointing out that it was "almost hysterically bad". She agreed, saying that apparently the water they'd been given was off in some way. She managed to brew me some tea using bottled water.

I take small, non perishables that will not attract attention from securty...Slim Fast snack bars, granola bars, chips, water. I also order the seafood meal which is usually much better than standard Coach fare.

I've always flown British Air and thought their food was fine and well timed for what I need. I do pack a small bottle of water, a few energy bars (that I usually don't eat until later in the trip), maybe a small bag of trail mix.

I've had much more problems on shorter flights (i.e., Seattle to Mexico) where they barely/rarely serve food at all. Then I pack a sandwich.

WOW! What wonderful and creative ideas! I've been writing all these great tips down-I'm sure Gil and I will be the envy of our flight! I think a trip to a good gourmet deli here in Atlanta is certainly in order before heading out to Hartsfield!

Thanks again to everyone for taking the time to share your ideas...Debbie.

Bon appetit!!! ((b))

Nutella: I'm with you there - those little baci's (kisses) keep calling out to me too!

I really can't afford more than one baci a week, tho...

So, I eat bananas or some other fruit to fill up before flight departure.

One small bottle of water in my pack, just in case

And some small boxes of California raisins for quick energy

I try to eat as little of the airline gourmet items as possible, they tend to be much too rich for me - mashed potatoes with gravy, then bread with butter, then cheese with crackers, then a very sweet dessert...

Pass that salami sandwich, would you please?