Food in the Air and Space: History of Airline & Space Food | In-Flight Meals & Astronaut Nutrition | Perfect for Travelers & Aviation Enthusiasts

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!