Tomato juice, yes or no?
The next time you take a transatlantic flight, take a look at what people order to drink. have you registered before the number of people who order tomato juice ? It is difficult to say the exact proportion, but it is significant enough to keep the anecdote. If you had not noticed on any of your previous flights, from now on, you will.
United Airlines found out recently too. The airline announced at the beginning of the year that it was going to review its menu on domestic flights of less than four hours. One of the planned changes, along with the replacement of hot breakfasts with muffins and whole meals with burritos, would be the removal of tomato juice from the list of drinks.
To the surprise of the company, the passengers went into a rage. And they did not remain silent, no: they expressed themselves openly on social networks. Such was the avalanche of angry GIFs and threats not to fly United again that the company **retracted within days.**
What is it about tomato juice that arouses passions on high, even among those reluctant to order it at sea level? Apparently, there is an explanation (or several).
They ask for more tomato juice than you think...
REASON 1: HUMIDITY
United wasn't the first airline to notice the drink's popularity (although it's probably the first to never forget it). In 2010, Lufthansa estimated that 200,000 liters of tomato juice had been consumed on his flights, almost reaching 225,000 beer . Intrigued, the company commissioned a study from the Fraunhofer Institute to clarify why. What are we going to say, the airline is German: anything that can unseat beer as a favorite drink is worth watching.
The institute discovered that the reason tomato juice had so many fans at 11,000 kilometers was actually the plane. Senses are affected by humidity levels , which are notoriously low in the cabins: between 10 and 15%, compared to 50-60% for an optimal level of well-being. Its environment dries out the nose and mouth, dumbing down the taste buds and the pituitary. Add the low pressure, which lowers the oxygen level in your blood, and you end up with a weak reception of tastes and smells.
The result? A strong, acidic flavor, like tomato juice, sounds very appetizing. “At sea level, tomato juice tastes intense, not very fresh,” explained Ernst Derenthal, head of catering for Lufthansa when the study came out. “On the other hand, as soon as you drink it at 11,000 kilometers, it shows its best face. It is more acidic, has a slightly mineral flavor, and is very refreshing.”
In the air it tastes better
REASON 2: THE NOISE
There is another theory as to why tomato juice is so palatable in the air, and this one focuses on another sense: hearing. According to a Cornell University professor, the decibel level interferes with the perception of taste, especially sweet. With an average of 85 decibels, the ears suffer much more in a metal tube hurtling through the sky at 800 kilometers per hour than at home (the optimum level would be 55 decibels, maximum). The magic of synesthesia makes the sweet taste less appetizing on a plane, for the simple fact that it will taste like nothing to us.
Therefore, without thinking about it, we gravitate more towards salty; or better yet, towards the combination of sweet and salty, which the Japanese very poetically call umami . Tomato juice is a classic exponent of umami, making it the big winner in the air bar.
Facing the noise of the plane, helmets… and salty food
REASON 3: SUGGESTION
Beyond scientific explanations, the drink's popularity may be due to something much simpler: rationalization and social influence.
For one thing, as Sam Wolfson argues in The Guardian, choosing a drink on a plane is a bit of an unusual situation. You have to make a quick decision, and being free, you want to extract the maximum possible benefit. A tomato juice sounds extravagant, unusual; the perfect drink for an extravagant and unusual situation such as flying. And it has a plus: it sounds like healthy food (whether it is or not is another question).
The other possible reason is much less philosophical and more visual: social "pressure". As with popcorn at the movies or pipes at a football stadium, passengers ask for tomato juice when they see their fellow passengers order it too. Suggestion is a very powerful weapon, and in a confined space with limited options like an airplane, even more so.
And of course there is the asterisk: we ordered tomato juice because can be perked up with a splash of vodka. If you turn the juice into a aerial bloody mary , we will keep the secret for you. Also has.
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