Text 10855, 77 rader
Skriven 2014-03-14 22:34:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: malaysia trip 1/14 321
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UA1662 DCA SFO 0800 1127 73G 1AB

Our cab got us to the airport in reasonable time. The
aircraft boarded in good time, and it was an uneventful
flight, featuring the standard breakfast of weird egg
substance, weird potato substance, and weird turkey sausage
substance; I didn't eat much, counting on Fung Lum in the
domestic airside food court; the indicators were that my
upgrade would clear on the long leg but Lilli's wouldn't,
and in the interest of chivalry or domestic harmony or
something I was honor bound to refuse it. And so it was.

Fung Lum offered roast duck - as usual I ordered it without
rice, which means that it comes with a few scraps of bok
choy instead and costs a buck less. This time, it came with
nine whole baby bok choys and thus became a substantial and
pretty good meal. I felt blessed.

Lilli's steak taco from Andale was apparently pretty decent
and came with a quite spicy tomatillo sauce, which she of
course gave me and which I of course drained.

Then off to the international club, where the well Bourbon
was, well, not Bourbon, and the house red was some kind of
abomination.

UA 869 SFO HKG 1325 2005 744 20BC

My upgrade cleared; hers did not. I stayed in coach.

The guy in the window seat spilled over into Lilli's space,
which bothered her quite a bit. Unfortunately, he had taken
an Ambien or something and so was not rousable. One poked
him when he got out of bounds, and he groaned and shifted,
most of the time encroaching farther. After a while one gave
up and leaned over in the other direction, to me.

Lunch, I forget: my notes say turkey-cheese sandwich (which
I didn't have) and "chicken McNuggets repurposed into
Chinese food with noodles," which I apparently did. At the
remove of another month, I do remember the texture of this
dish if not its taste: the chicken was sort of artifically
tenderized and was surrounded by a not unpleasant starchy
coating; the noodles were sort of soft and squishy except
where they were stuck to the side of the dish. There was a
brown gelatinous sauce with some shreds of Shanghai bok
choy and maybe a doong gwoo, but I might be remembering
that from another meal.

Many hours of dulness, during which there was a second meal,
which I ignored. No inflight entertainment except for the
big screen up ahead. We landed a bit early.

Transit in Hong Kong is even easier than it used to be,
though the walks seem longer than they used to be. We found
the Cathay transfer desk in short order; it processed us
quickly, and we were on our way to the first-class lounge,
which Lilli got us into because of her exalted status,
despite our being in coach.

The Wing is a very slick lounge, all black granite or marble
or something, with waiter service and a cafeteria (served or
self-serve, your choice) shared with business class and with
some pretty nasty food. On the way back from the restroom I
walked into the wall at least once, that's how slick and
polished it is. Oh, God, that food was nasty - St. Peter's
fish that must have dated from St. Peter's lifetime was
typical. Some of the sweets, agar-agar based, seemed okay,
but sugary stiff Jell-O does not a meal make.

Better news: the Champagne was Peninsula brand and quite
good (a little oxidized, but not unpleasant), and there
was San Miguel, brought by an ever-attentive waiter.

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