Food in the Air and Space: The Surprising History of Food and Drink in the Skies (Food on the Go)

In the early days of commercial flight, a passenger could expect a thermos of coffee and a ham sandwich or cold fried chicken for lunch, and might have to pay for it. By the days of space flight, things were surprisingly similar -- astronaut John Young smuggled a corned beef sandwich aboard Gemini 3. While the ham sandwich could have been a mess if it flew off the passenger's lap during turbulence, the corned beef in space was rather more of a problem. One bite of the sandwich sent a cloud of crumbs drifting into the zero-gravity capsule and in addition to being a nuisance floating around their faces, also threatened to clog vents and otherwise interfere with the delicate electronics on board.Richard Foss covers the period from recreational hot air ballooning in the 18th century (champagne picnics) to the International Space Station (Pizza Hut). What did people eat in flight and how was it prepared? Being an airline enthusiast, I enjoyed the section on passenger flight the most, and I think Foss did also. The book is well researched, including menus, diaries and letters, as well as interviews.The problem of how to heat food, let alone cook it, in flight was tricky and as we know, was not always successful. Then there's the problem of physiology -- our noses in pressurized cabins don't work very well which renders everything but the spiciest food quite bland. Foss explains these problems and the many attempts to overcome them. It's really very entertaining and I learned a lot about airline and space food. Five stars!

Excellent book...very well researched!

Great information and research presented in a well written, interesting manner.

Fascinating

I'm always looking for historical information regarding air transportation to use for researching my aviation museum guide presentations. Even though I had personal experience as a stewardess in the 1960s and 70s, how airlines grew, polished and then de-volved passenger in-flight service continues to intrigue me. This book has helped me immensely in that regard.

Excellent resource for food service from 18th century balloon flights to space travel. From champagne to Tang! Especially loved all of the interesting factoids about food service in commercial aviation.

No color and too small pictures...

On April 12, 1961, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, ate the first meal in space: beef and liver paste, followed by liquefied chocolate, both squeezed from metal tubes. Nearly a half-century later, the food in space aboard the International Space Station included lasagna, jambalaya, fajitas, and teriyaki chicken. Before the first manned balloon flight on December 1, 1783, physicist Jacques Charles, handed fellow aeronaut Nicholas-Louis Robert an empty glass and as the balloon lifted in Paris, Charles popped the cork on a bottle of champagne, filled both glasses, and toasted the crowd. Two hundred and thirty-four years later, at the 2017 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, most of the balloonists taking off did exactly the same thing! Author Richard Foss has researched and written one of the most interesting food histories I’ve ever read that’s based on the book’s subtitle, “The Surprising History of Food and Drink in the Skies.” The book is fascinating, funny, and often startles the reader with odd facts about how dining progressed over nearly two and a half centuries of flight. For example, in 1960, when other airlines were using jets, Mohawk Airlines was still flying pre-war DC-3 prop planes, so some marketing genius decorated the planes like Victorian railroad cars, complete with velvet curtains, false gaslamps, and stewardesses dressed like dancehall girls who served beer and pretzels while advising the passengers not to open the “train’s” windows. Mohawk’s Gaslight Service was so successful that the airline raised enough money to start buying jets. Anecdotes like this fill the book and provide entertainment for longtime travelers, technology nerds, pilots and other airline professionals, and especially food lovers. I recommend this book highly.

I expected a book full of great photos of food service over the years. Disappointed.