There are tolerable foods... and others that will put your companion in a very bad mood
A airplane it's that environment where you sit suspiciously close to someone you don't know, barely able to get up, for a considerable amount of time. Told that way, it sounds a bit hellish -unless you can afford to fly in the best business class in the world, of course-, and the nightmare seems to be multiplied if your neighbor he starts to eat.
“Eat what you eat, the smell that remains afterward is a pain if you have many hours of flight ahead of you,” Jennifer, who works precisely at an airport, tells us. Of course, among everything that can be eaten on a plane, there are dishes towards which we feel special rejection.
For Claudia, an English teacher, it's fast food -and, while you're reading this, I'm sure you can almost smell the characteristic aroma of certain hamburger chains-. For Sara and Naiara, journalists, the worst thing is to sit near someone who eats Packet potatoes with strong flavors : ham, Doritos, onion...
In this aerial still life there are several things that can annoy your neighbor...
And speaking of ham: we don't like it when its "real" version is consumed near us either. In fact, the type of food we most hate to find on airplanes - at least, when we're not the ones eating it - are sausages : its aroma repels Manuel and Naiara, journalists, and also Cristina, midwife.
Although, given the choice, better that than a ramen -sold by many low-cost airlines and even carried by the passengers themselves on Asian flights-: “They smell super strong, and you're going to have that smell inside the whole trip. Also, the probability of them falling on you is too high. I prefer that they eat a chorizo sandwich, which smells just as strong but at least it's tasty and it's not liquid”, defends Ana, a graphic designer.
Citrus fruits, and especially tangerines, don't get a good press either: neither Lucía, a clothing designer, nor José Manuel, a DJ, can stand them, also due to their strong smell. And that, as we commented in the article in which we tried to unravel why people drink tomato juice On airplanes, our senses are negatively affected by humidity levels, which are very low in cabins: between 10 and 15%, compared to 50-60% for an optimal comfort level. Its environment dries out the nose and mouth, dumbing down the taste buds and the pituitary. If you add the low pressure, which lowers the oxygen level in the blood, you end up with a weak reception of tastes and smells , which could be precisely the reason why people opt for such “strong” dishes on board.
In the air, tastes and smells are less appreciated
In fact, Juan and Francisco, musicians, what they least like is meeting someone who is eating a spoon plate, such as tripe or bean stew. “Once a lady who was next to me brought out a tupperware of meatballs. I don't know how she could get through it, but she was there she was. A TUPPER OF MEATBALLS WITH TOMATO ”, remembers with horror Juan, free time monitor.
Curiously, there is another category of food that we can't bear to be eaten near us, and that is foods that make noise : “Crispy things! Bread, cookies... I can't!” says Carolina, a doctor. In that list, of course, would also include apples - Rubén asserts it, communicator-, dried fruit - it is Nuria's opinion - and the aforementioned French fries, which Carmen can't stand either. The lawyer also mentions the chewing gums , above all, if they are eaten with their mouths open, “the Tibetan mountain goat rolls chewing the cud seven times over the same move”, completes Juan, a mechanic.
“I don't care if they eat, but I'd rip their heads off every time they chew, swallow, sip and by-products,” argues Andy, trainer. "When they eat next to us, the terrifying disastrous sound is what bothers us," agrees Jairo, an engineer. The opinions regarding noise generated when eating, As you can see, they generate powerful responses. And that in an airplane we are exposed to 85 decibels of sound -the optimal level is around 55-, so it seems difficult to capture the sound of someone chewing.
However, this visceral intolerance seems complicated to control for those who suffer from misophonia , a disorder that, in its extreme form, can lead to anxiety or aggressive behaviors , but which, at its lowest levels, "only" causes us to become irritated when listening to another eat and drink.
However, at the other end of the spectrum, there are those who enjoy it, and who even find a source of well-being in it: we are talking about those who feel pleasure with it. ASMR , acronym for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. The subject, by the way, has become fashionable on the internet, and has made stars of youtubers who dedicate themselves to drumming their fingers, whispering and, of course, eating in front of a microphone that amplifies each of the sounds. However, we haven't found anyone who enjoys it in our little survey, so just in case, avoid crunchy foods when you get on a plane.
Another thing that seems to bother a lot, although more for its effects than for its ingestion itself, is the alcohol consumption . "In general, I don't like that they eat next to me, but if they also start asking for alcohol and they get sandungueros...", admits Víctor, illustrator. "I don't like people drinking alcohol on the plane, it makes me tired," agrees Claudia, a teacher. At this point, however, it is difficult to find a concert: "It's not cool to get a bottle at the duty free and spend it on the way!", exclaims another Víctor, this receptionist. "It's not that it's cool, it's that it's the law," says Iñaki, a businessman. " But if drinking on the plane is the best thing about flying! ", agrees Marta, actress. Of course, everyone prefers to be the ones who drink rather than sit next to someone who is doing it...