Why Does Airline Food Taste So Bland?
- By: Clayton Truscott
- Published: 20 October 2010
- Tags: bizarre
Finally, a plausible answer as to why airline food tastes so bland.
The answer? White noise.
According to research reported in the Journal of Food Quality and Preference, the intensity of flavour and the perceived crunchiness of food may be directly linked to the level of background noise.
Huh? So the plane's rumbling engine and the guy snoring next to me may be the cause of years of dissatisfaction with airline food? Appears so...
The study comprised of 48 hungry blindfolded diners, each of whom were asked to rate and assess the sweetness, saltiness, crunchiness and overall flavour of certain foods, both in silence and whilst listening to white noise through headphones.
The findings? While the white noise appeared to have reduce the flavour of the foods, it seemed to have increased the measure of crunch.
You'll be glad to know that this is only the beginning of the researcher's long overdue quest to find out the exact reasons behind bland airline food. In the interim, just make sure you're listening to 'good food music' before taking your first bite!
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