If an airline must serve only veg food, why target economy, ask lovers of non-veg fare
Those flying domestic economy with Air India will now have to make do with daal makhni and mix veg curry, while the folks in first class will continue to enjoy their lamb curry and chicken reshmi kebab. It’s elitist and reeks of class prejudice, say lovers of non-veg food.
Twitter has been testy about the airline’s decision, aimed at cost-cutting and wastage reduction. One tweet even hinted at a conspiracy to turn everyone more ‘sanskari’ than they want to be. It said: “Only veg food on Air India. Next, flight attendants to speak only Hindi. After that, stand for national anthem before take-off.”
Food is part of your travelling experience, and for those who love non-vegetarian food, this comes as a big disappointment
DEEBA RAJPAL, FOOD BLOGGER
The food bloggers we spoke to didn’t see such dark designs, but were nonetheless cheesed off. “If they were fair, they would’ve done away with non-vegetarian food completely for everyone, right from economy to business and first class. There shouldn’t be any discrimination when it comes to food,” says food blogger Shivesh Bhatia.
Deeba Rajpal, food blogger and recipe developer, believes that the decision will spoil a passenger’s in-flight experience. “You can’t take away a person’s food choice just because you need to bring down costs. You can add a cost [for the passenger], but not giving a choice is not fair.”
Food stylist Praerna Kartha says that it’ll ultimately affect the goodwill of Air India. “What has removing non-veg food got to do with improving other services? I fail to see the connect,” she says. “The airline will lose its goodwill, and passengers might move to different carriers if Air India continues imposing such measures.”