Why is the food on public transport so bad

A.� The best food you're likely to encounter while travelling is on an aeroplane. Restaurant critics Tim and Nina Zagat say that Singapore Airlines serves the best food. All passengers enjoy menus worked on by at least eight top international chefs, including Gordon Ramsay.
The most popular food to tuck into while airborne is spicy. At altitude, digestion slows down and one's ability to taste can be reduced by a third. This makes spicy food the best bet for airlines - the most popular dish with British Airways' long-haul economy passengers, for instance, is chicken tikka masala.

BA serves 70,000 meals a day. Each year its passengers consume 41 tonnes of chicken, 45 tonnes of strawberries, 127 tonnes of tomatoes and 600,000 pints of milk. It spends �38 million a year on wine and champagne, which is selected by a panel of experts, including Jancis Robinson, Hugh Johnson and Michael Broadbent from Christies. Some of the wine tastings are held in pressurised cabins to replicate the on-board conditions.

Food and drink can be easily affected by flying - altitude affects the boiling point of water (just 87C at 35,000 ft) so tea and coffee have to be brewed for longer than they would on the ground.

But airlines have realised the importance of good food. Passengers can choose from around 20 special meals: high fibre; lactose-free; Muslim; Kosher and vegetarian dishes. You can also order a fruit plate or a 'bland' meal.

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Q.� What about on the train

A.� Hungry train passengers claim they have suffered for years. But, like flying, more choice and quality is offered passengers. Virgin Trains holds a Vegetarian Society Travel Award, for its revised menus, which include vegeterian cheese, free-range eggs and tortilla wraps with roasted vegetables.

In June 1999, Great North Eastern Railways (GNER) presented a cheeseburger in a glass case to York's National Railway Museum to mark the end of the much-maligned burgers on its services. Its replacement is the griddled burger in focaccia, with tomate chutney and onion relish. More than 3,000 are sold each week.

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Q.� Is the best food still on cruises

A.� Cruise lore has it passengers put on stones in just one week aboard a ship. Many cruises offer as many as 10 meals a day, from breakfast through to midnight buffet - all included in the price of a trip. The days of dining at the same table, at the same time, with the same companions has long gone - many lines now offer free seating at a choice of several restaurants.

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by Katharine MacColl

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