Text 14280, 102 rader
Skriven 2008-09-28 08:51:04 av Michael Loo (1:18/200.0)
Ärende: trip 976
================
We shall draw a discreet curtain over how I got to Munich
and what I did there. Suffice it to say that it didn't
involve any illegal behavior on my part and was actually
quite inexpensive, mostly.

UA 907 MUC ORD 1220 1514 763 5F

Three flight attendants worked the cabin from time to time -
a grumpy young brunette, a pixyish and pleasant sort of
Audrey Hepburnish brunette, and a pretty Germanic blonde.

The seats were quite nice - surprisingly so, in fact.

The reds were the palatable if unsubtle Furiant Malbec,
with cherry and berry flavors, good balance of acid,
tannin, and a touch of sweetness. Audrey (not her real
name) sold me on the former; but when refill time came
around, the blonde poured the Bushmen's Gully Shiraz,
which is one of the more boring wines on this planet, with
a distinct resemblance to what you might get out of a box
someplace. Audrey's return made everything right again.

My seatmate was a young engineer working his dream job at
Audi; he was flying to the States to do some crash tests.
He had probably not flown international biz before (he had
flown intracontinental, as he mentioned this) and was
enthralled with it all, especially the seats and - oddly -
the food. It's nice to be young and unjaded.

to begin
Smoked Tyrolean beef and Roma salami with tomato and
mozzarella; pine-nut pesto sauce

Fresh seasonal greens; Creamy Parmesan and peppercorn or
Honey Dijon vinaigrette

The beef, 5E told me, was nowhere near so spicy as it
should have been; otherwise the food was fine, and the
little blob of pesto was good enough for me to eat it
by itself with a spoon.

main course
Grilled filet mignon with shiitake port demi-glace; garlic
mashed potatoes with chives and a carrot zucchini saute

Roasted chicken with sweet chili sauce; mixed pepper
risotto and green beans with sun-blushed tomatoes

Cannelloni with spinach and ricotta; sun-dried tomato and
onions with a light tomato sauce

I had the chicken, which was quite heavily brined so very
salty but also tender. The risotto was very good, and the
beans were fine, though the tomatoes were really strips of
red pepper. 5E said that the cannelloni were excellent.

dessert
International cheese selection
Bavarian Bleu, Red Cheddar

European specialty dessert

The specialty dessert was an apple tart; my seatmate said
that it was good, though it looked kind of stodgy to me.
I passed, having a Courvoisier and then a longish nap.

midflight snack
Assorted treats and sandwiches are available between
the two main meals

On my leg-stretch a couple hours before landing, Audrey
accosted me in the galley with the (sigh) nefarious purpose
of plying me with Toblerone and Kit Kats.

prior to arrival
Tuscan-style wrap sandwich
Herb marinated chicken, salami and cheese with tomato and
kalamata olives

Cheese plate with fresh seasonal fruit
Cheddar, Brie, Chaumes

I chose not to eat; 5E highly recommended the wrap, going
so far as to tell me he'd run down a FA to get one for me. I
told him I had a dinner date and didn't want to overindulge.

Channel 9 had been turned on as soon as I asked; I snoozed
of course through much of it, as it's my lullaby. There was
a bit of a scare around 1, when we were told over the middle
of Canada to turn to 290 for spacing. This put us on course
for Thunder Bay, and I wondered if something Dreadful had
taken place, especially as Montreal told UA941 that there
had been an emergency at ORD, and it was closed indefinitely
- but we were on this tack for a few minutes only and then
went back on course without being told to put down in some
out-of-the-way Canadian airstrip. One thanks heaven for any
kind of favors one can get.

___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30

--- Maximus/2 3.01
 * Origin: Get your COOKING fix here! - nsbbs.info (1:18/200)