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It's up to you. Shell out for a craptastic plastic wrapped wad of nitrates (no, really, Pam, how DO you feel about airplane food) or sacrifice some of your hard earned carry-on space for edibles. And yes, it used to be easier before the war on liquids and the madness of charging for checked luggage. Once, before air travel was the horror it is today (and yes, I know, it's a miracle of engineering, blah blah blah) my pal C took me to the airport and handed me a beautifully packed box lunch full of Stuff You Want to Eat. It was awesome. Even before the wonders of C's lunch box (packed in an old shoe box and using yogurt containers and the like for the squishables) I used to take myself shopping for the flight, stocking up on Odwalla juice and veggie wraps and stuff that took my fancy. Now I settle for a couple of power bars because in spite of their gummy non-appeal, they do stave off hunger.
Heather Poole who writes Galley Gossip for Gadling explains the deal from both sides.
Which brings me to the point of this post (there is one, I promise) - snacks. I'm talking food. You should bring some the next time you travel. At least something. Anything! An apple, a cereal bar, instant oatmeal, whatever.
Blog Green has a list of favorite and sensible snackage
In most cases, you’ll find that these alternatives are not more expensive than their conventional counterparts. Bringing healthy snacks is one of the most important things when I travel, because I know its unlikely I’ll find any at the airport, on the plane or soon after I land.
Cake Girl puts me to shame by making her own snacks (What, it's not enough that I have to overachieve in packing, now I have to overachieve in snacking?).
Or a bus, or a train, or a car, or on the trail, or at your desk! Skip those corn syrup and refined sugar laden 100 calorie packs. The oreo variety contains over 2 teaspoons in just one 100-calorie package (9 grams). You might as well tear open a sugar packet and open wide. No kidding.
Ultimate Fitness Gear - a blog I'd probably pass by usually - has some rather good advice about what to eat if you're stuck with the airline's offerings. (Plus, it's kind of funny.)
Sure, alcohol can be fun and it might help you shake off the tensions of the day by letting you snooze your way from Atlanta to Seattle. Maybe it's even a necessary evil to tolerate the inane conversation you're forced into with your talkative seat neighbor who's intent on sharing his or her views on politics or why his or her special trip to France/Fresno/Fredonia was so amazing. But in addition to being empty calories without nutritional value (we can discuss antioxidants some other time), alcohol also lowers your guard. That's right, call it beer goggles in the sky and the thing most likely to make you decide to throw caution to the wind and buy that 7-ounce pack of Twizzlers with its massive 700 calories.
What's in my bag, you ask? Well. Almonds, almost always. Fruit - I really like tangerines because they're juicy, they're easy to peel, and they smell really good in the stale interior of the plane. The aforementioned power bars - I'm not brand loyal. If I really have it together, I have something like hummus and some kind of flat bread, minus the garlic because I'm polite. Ginger candies because ginger settles the belly and I'm a nervous flier.
Last time I flew cross country, the woman next to me took at a beautiful bento box with sushi and buckwheat noodles and little squeezy packets of soy sauce... I was quite envious. We have a terrific Asian supermarket nearby and I'm tempted to duplicate her method - with a little less grace, probably - for my upcoming flight to Austin.
Bottom line? Go healthy and don't skimp by getting cheap low quality stuff. You're stuck on a plane, right? Do something nice for yourself. And hey, throw in a treat. Nutrition obsessed folks may think that's a bad idea, but I like to indulge myself just a little bit when I fly. If I don't do it, there's no way the coach crew is going to.
