clarasong

Just got back from Santa Fe. Road the 'non stop' from Albuq. on Southwest and DH and I 'chose' isle seats accross from each other.; The lady who 'selected' the seat next to me was decidedly strange. Looked so thin she hardly cast a shadow, strange clothes, including a sort of Affhanistan rolled Felt Hat reminescent of "the Kite Flyer" and she proceeded to get an entire meal out of her hand woven hippi bag.

Unfortunately, her yogurt had'burst' while boarding so she set that in the seat between us, (yuk!)_and began in earnest to peal an avacado, open a tin of cheese, spread the entire mess on a tortilla, which she rolled up in a ball and began to thrust into her mouth, then wash it down with a 'carry on' bucket of herbal tea. In between bites, she injected herself with herbal pills, vitamins, and something in an 'eye dropper' that I couldn't discern.

Then she'd turn and smile at me with yello teeth, and quote me paragraphs from her "health' diary.!!

I was stunned, and told her emphatically that I thought I was healthy enough, thank you, since my mom lived to 99, and would suffer the complaints I already had, rather than try a new local 'fix'.

She glared at me like I had just spit on her...and that was the end of the social part of the flight, other than to let her out of her seat now and again, to go repair part of her lunch that was 'leaking'.

Oh well, takes all kinds, but I am home and not too much the worse for wear.

love ya
clara

Momliz

A picnic, and a lot better than most airplane food. Beats a bag of peanuts.

matnikstym

clara, you know I love your posts and you make me laugh...but I wonder if the woman next to you posted the same thing about strange seatmates on a different forum!
You never know!...

wally34949

I was on a train in the South of France and the woman next to me took out a knife and ate an avacoto. I said to myself, you don't see too many Americans doing that. Guess we got to watch the knife.

I guess we all just need to break down and buy our own private jet for our travels. Now why can't all Americans have a Laura and George Bush hairstyle and eat french fries on their flights?

boots08

On a recent flight, my seat mate didn't acknowledge my presence for the entire duration of the flight (he had the window seat, and me the middle one).

He was too busy picking at his ears and flicking the contents.

I was tempted to ask him to hand me a barf bag. amp;

JulieAgain

Oh Boots, I would have just freaked! I would rather have had the screaming child horror!

Clara, obviously your retort was perfect because it resulted in no more conversation!! Amazing how so-called health folks believe "popping" all of that stuff is so healthy. They have no idea where it came from, what it is, etc. They just buy it in a "health" store & believe the hype! Had a neighbor who bought "stuff" off of an internet site he happened to find because the price was so much cheaper. Go figure! Far as he knew, someone stuffed flour into a capsule!

Happy flying & pray for good seat mates!

clarasong

Wow...about the nose guy pickin and flicking, they should post polite signs along each isle that read "flick it and ticket", like the ones we have on the highway "Click it or ticket."

That's disgusting. Maybe that's why I wear rubber gloves while eating airplane food...No wait!! that wasn't food, but then what was it.?? Could it have been a solid chunck of styrofoam, drown in liquid super glue. Well, anyway, tasted the same.

It's only that after 5 hours on the damm plane, my stomach growls, so maybe she was right to bring her damm avacado, yogurt, cheese, and other yukky stuff. But why did she look so unhealthy? her teeth yellow?
Scientifically, one could conclude that too much health food is bad for you and/or that styrofoam aids digestion

I report, you decide.

dutyfree

Hey,try working a flight for 10 hours over the pond with these types?

clevelandbrown

You wear rubber gloves while eating airline food, but do eat the food? Are you dirty?

clarasong

Clevland: twas said "tongue in cheek"...re the rubber gloves...of course I don't wear them, but I did have a physician friend tell me not to eat airplane food unless absolutely necessary as that's where the bacteria and virus's lurk.

Anyway, don't mind if folks bring their own food. But not an entire deli. It might be a good idea to bring stuff that is a, not messy (leaky), and b, already prepared, so you don't have to make an entire meal on your seat back tray, threatening to spill over into next person's personal space. And 'limburger' cheese yet? Common???

Jeff_Costa_Rica

On a recent flight, the woman sitting across the aisle from me had a terrible cold. She was coughing and sneezing and sniffling. She apparently had no tissue or handkerchief, so she took off that piece of cloth that's attatched by velcro to the headrest of her seat and blew her nose into it during the whole flight. I remember thinking, I hope she takes it with her when she leaves. (It was one case where I might condone stealing.) The flight landed. I was gathering up my things and had kind of forgotten about this. All of a sudden, I noticed she was gone and that piece of cloth was attached to her seat once again.

I did tell the flight attendant about it.

tully

Oh jeff that's gross, thank heavens you at least told the flight attendant about it! I can sympathize, flying back from Managua, the lady in the middle seat next to me sneezed, coughed & hacked the whole flight and never once covered her mouth! Once in a while she would wipe her nose and then put her arm/hand on our shared armrest. Needless to say I was almost hugging the side of the plane the whole flight and even holding my hand over my nose/mouth and giving her pointed looks did nothing to sway her.

I really don't care what people are wearing, or even what they eat, but basic hygiene is a must!

P_M

I've been trying to find a trip report called "OWJ's Trip from Smell." If I do find it I'll post a link, but long story short, our good poster OneWanderingJew and her husband had a seatmate in desperate need of a bath. Worst of all, he kept lifting his baby into the air, hence exposing his foul armpits. OWJ's husband made a magazine snorkel and pointed it away from this man in order to get a whiff of clean air.

I'll keep searching for this thread, it's a HOOT!!

suze

Strange people are attracted to you Clarasong, more than the average bear. I'm not sure why.

evecolorado

P_M: Here is the link. This is my most absolute favorite, too.

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...gJew&fid=1

evecolorado

Sorry, the correct link is: http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...amp;dirtyBit=1

P_M

Thanks eve!!

clarasong

Gee, thanks Suze: Who said she was "attracted" to me.? I said I was amused, maybe a bit disgusted by her "deli in a bag" ..and a little nervous that as it expanded, it might "explode" onto my new jacket. She had some sort of 'health' diary she quoted from' as I was letting her in out in out of her seat to attend to the needs of her leaking lunch. Watching her was a strange facination mixed with dread. I seriously doubt that she was "attracted" to me.(and what else is there to do in flight?)

Where did I indicate that she was 'attracted' to me. By the way, do you wear glasses.? Should you ?

suze

You specifically said that she *selected* the seat next to you. I assumed she thought you looked like an interesting seatmate is all I meant.

clarasong

Suze: The reason we choose Southwest is because they are the only airline that has a nonstop between Seattle and Albuq. Their seating policy is, you can get your boarding pass on line just 24 hrs before flight time, no sooner. So we did that promptly, but we still got in the A 30 - 48 seat range, and thus we were boarded before the B group, and the C, if there was one. So after DH and I each "selected" Isle seats (which we prefer so that we can get in and our without bothering anyone, and stretch our legs if need be, ) she, this woman, got on in the B group and 'selected' the seat next to me...as one of the seats that was left....a better choice than some, like sitting between two heavy people, or a squalling baby. So she 'selected' this seat...as it were. I doubt I had anything to do with it. I'd like to flatter myself to think that folks would 'select' to sit near me, cause I am so interesting looking, beautiful, etc., but No, I am really rather ordinary looking. You'd never pick me out in a crowd.