Backflip

<This post was back dated to fit in line with actual events>

I heard back from Continental Airlines from my e-mail concerning their food (see Hong Kong Day 7). This was their reply:

This was my e-mail to them:

“Message: To whom it may concern,

I am writing to inquire about the food menus provided on the airplane. On the menu when I was flying were items such as “Iceberg lettuce and radicchio with carrot julienne, cucumber and baby shrimp.” I’m not sure what radicchio or julienne are and it made me skeptical of the food.

I opted not to eat which was fine by me. However I think it would make more sense to provide standard food options that passengers can understand. These standard options would be appealing to a broader audience since they would be known foods and while they might be more plain I think the goal is to feed the most people which would be met.

Another issue around the food was the smell in the cabin for the passengers who (like me) decided not to eat. I imagine it is very difficult to control food smells on an airplane but if foods were more standard than I think the smell would not be such a big deal.

Your airline is doing a great job. And the food issue was not a deal breaker by any means (I know most airline food is quite questionable). But I wanted to write and let you know that having “regular” food while in the air would be very enjoyable.

Thanks for your time,

Luke Lindeman”

This was the reply: 

“Dear Mr. Lindeman:

Thank you for contacting Continental Airlines.

I regret that you were not satisfied with the meal served in our First Class cabin. Our world-class chefs are dedicated to providing exceptional service and outstanding meals.

Your feedback will be shared with our Food Services Division for internal review and consideration.

I am not sure if you have looked up the items that kept you from eating your meal, but the radicchio is the red leafed lettuce (actually chicory) and julienne is just referring to the carrots being sliced thinly.

I have included your entire correspondence, including the food odors in a file that has been included with our Customer Care report which is reviewed by members of our senior management team.

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with Continental. I hope we are able to welcome you onboard one of our flights in the near future.

Regards,

Denise Epstein”

I do wish I was sitting in First Class. Unfortunately this wasn’t the case.

Besides that inaccuracy he pretty much told me their food is fine. Which is reasonable. I was kinda hoping to get something out of the deal, but I guess a reply is something. I really didn’t have too much of an issue with the food going over to Hong Kong so I think the experience on the way home had many more factors than the food involved. The food was just an easy place to take out my travel frustrations. In all reality, since that was my biggest gripe I’d have to say the trip was a smashing success.

Now I know in the future to bring my own provisions aboard any planes I travel, knowing I can’t rely on their food to get me through anymore. Seems like a good lesson learned.

I finally got Lightbox2 which is a picture application, working on my blog (yeah, it turned out to be really easy). I don’t know why it took me so long. The pictures for Hong Kong Day 4, Day 3 and Day 2 have been posted and I will be working getting the rest of the trip online.

Thanks for your patience!

This past weekend I headed over to Miami University to see my friend Amy play in the Miami Steel Drum Band Concert. It was pretty sweet, the sound made by steel drums is so unique that it is always a joy to hear. The concert was great but the best part of the night was hanging out at Amy’s place afterwards with Beth, Michael, Vicky, Jordan, Ben, Amy, Esther and Amy’s friend who is also named Amy (things really get confusing when Amy’s roomate who is named Amy is around). We had some ice cream and chatted about life. It was very chill and fun.

Saturday was off to Etzio’s (sp?) Bike Shop in Tipp City to pick up some bike parts. Got a new chain for the fixie and a new seat. Jordan helped put the chain on the bike but we needed a few more parts so it wasn’t quite operational yet. I’ll be working on gettin’ it up and running this week.

Saturday night was a party at Matt and Bob’s place. Rachel’s birthday was Friday so we all hung out and had some ice cream (yeah, I ate a lot of it this past weekend) and got into quite a number of debates. Some were enjoyable, others not so much. But it was a good time overall.

Sunday was pretty relaxed. I’m house sitting my parents house while they are on a little vacation during my Mom’s spring break. I heard there was supposed to be a tornado or something last night but the weather never really turned sour.

This upcoming week is pretty standard. Not too much goin on besides tryin’ to find another engagement since my contract at Teradata is coming to an end. It’ll be interesting to see where i end up next.