In-flight Meal Service
Airlinesfrequently operate the same type of aircraft and have similar equipment. Theways in which an airline can claim to be different and impress a passenger isby the standard of its service, the helpfulness of its cabin attendants and itsfood.
Food and meal service reflectslocal culture. Passengers are offered a choice of either local food orinternational food. An airline meal or in-flight meal is a meal served topassengers on board. These meals are prepared by airline catering services. Thecabin attendants are responsible for making the appropriate announcements and catering for the individual choices.
The type of food variesdepending upon the airline and class of travel. In general, a variety of mealsare provided. For example, sometimes a passenger needs a particular food formedical reasons. And on other occasionsa traveler’s religion may forbid certain food or meals. Cabin attendants aretaught about the contents of the diets and the reasons that make such dietsnecessary.
The main meals served arebreakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Meals may be served on one tray or inmultiple courses with no tray and with a tablecloth, metal cutlery, andglassware. The first-class passengers are always provided with arestaurant-type service, and economy class passengers are often offered with apre-set tray service.
The service for first class canbe quite elaborate. The proceduresfor serving the first-class passengers are usually like this: 1. distributingmenu; 2. offering aperitifs; 3.taking order; 4. setting tables; 5. offering rolls; 6. offering appetizer; 7. offering soup;8. offering main course (roast beef, steak, roast duck, chicken, fish, rice,potato and vegetables); 9. offering salad (green peas, carrots, onion, cabbage,tomato and cucumber); 10. offering cheese, dessert and fruit (pear, orange,peach, grapes, melon and pineapple); 11. offering beverage; and 12. offeringafter-dinner liquor.
In the economy section, theprocedure is much simpler. Pre-packed hot main courses are often provided,however, they have to be re-heated in the galley and added to partially presettrays. Trays should be distributed to passengers with pleasant remarks. It isbothconvenientand economical.
New Words and Expressions
appropriate [ ə′prəʊpriət] adj. 适当的，恰当的
occasion [ ə′keiʒn] n. 场合，时机
cutlery ['kʌtləri] n. 餐具
elaborate [i′læbərət] adj. 精心制作的，详尽的
aperitif [əˌperə′ti:f] n. 开胃酒, 饭前酒
appetizer [′æpitaizə(r)] n. 开胃的食物，开胃小吃
Task 1 Talk about the following questionsafter reading the material and do some extended discussion.
1. How many steps ofmeal service are there for first-class passengers? What are they?
2. What are the main differences between the first- class meal service andthe
economy-class meal service?
3. Besides the things about meal service on boardmentioned in the passage, what
else about it do you know?
Task 2 Do you know about Chinese dietaryculture? How many regional cuisines in
Learn more professional terms for your further study.
wing n. 机翼
fuel n. 燃料
tank n. 油箱
air brake 气闸，风闸
belly [′beli] n. 机腹
nose gear 前起落架
rudder [′rʌdə(r)] n. 尾舵
panel [′pænl] n. 仪表板
break-in area 逃生窗
propeller [prə′pelə(r)] n. 推进器
radome ['reidəʊm] n. 天线罩，（雷达）天线屏蔽器
fuselage [′fju:zəlɑ:ʒ] n. 机身
undercarriage bay 起落架舱
retractable landing gear 伸缩起落架
