Text 15304, 90 rader
Skriven 2014-07-30 23:56:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: traveling 727
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Here I am waiting for a 6-hour-delayed United flight.
Luckily Lilli is with me, and the Boardroom is open
until 1:30, and they're not being strict about the
3-drink maximum. United has shown greater than typical
incompetence, putting me on a flight to Chicago (in
coach) without telling me, while putting Lilli on
Houston to Amsterdam nonstop without me.

They eventually fixed us, putting us together on a
flat-bed flight to Houston and then a row apart on
a flat-bed flight to Amsterdam. The agent said that
2A was across from 1D (which it is on some aircraft,
but not this one). Problem is that on the plane they
ended up putting us on, 2B is broken. I noted that
if they fixed 2B, they could sell one more Business
First seat, each flight would generate many more
hundreds of dollars.

We've been here 7 hours (counting the recommended
2 hours before an international itinerary), and I've
had Coke, Diet Coke, orange juice, Alaskan Amber,
some no-name Malbec, Starbuck's medium-roast decaf,
water, and a decaf Americano. Multiples of most -
I usually do a beverage a half hour and cut down
only if water is the only thing available.

They had corn chowder, which Lilli said was decent,
but by the time I got there, they'd switched it out
for chips, salsa, and guac - fairly decent.

Gradually the place has filled up with disgruntled
United fliers; there used to be a cordial relation
between Alaska and Continental, with reciprocity
between club systems, but this has survived the
years only in Anchorage. The Boardroom closes at
1:30, the bar at 1; this new keyboard is failing,
the shift key now requiring several hits before
it works.

They're playing a rerun of the Orioles game, but
as earlier in the day we saw the original, it's a
bit of an anticlimax.

I'm getting bored. A cup of Woodbridge Cabernet is
in front of me. Pretty nasty stuff, rather worse
than the Malbec.

Flying is sometimes more of an adventure than one
would like it to be, and sometimes the adventure
is a dull one.

Fettuccine with wild mushrooms and dried tomatoes
cat: airline, pasta, main
Serves: 6

16 oz dry fettuccine pasta, cooked al dente
3 Tb olive oil
2 Tb butter
3 shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and julienned
2 c cremini mushrooms, julienned
3 portobello mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed, cubed small
4 oz dry white wine
4 c chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 Tb fresh rosemary leaves, chopped fine
1 Tb fresh thyme leaves, chopped fine
1/4 c fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
1 1/2 c cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
6 oz brie (or any triple cream cheese)
1 c creme fraiche
Salt and fresh black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 325F. Place the tomatoes, cut side up,
on a sheet pan. Place in the oven for 1 hr, or until a
little golden. In a large pan, heat the olive oil and
butter. Add the shallots and garlic, cook until soft.
Add the mushrooms and cook until soft (about 5-6 min.)
Add the wine, reduce all the way; add the chicken stock
and reduce by half. Then, all at once, add the herbs,
oven-dried tomatoes, and brie. Heat everything through
until it comes to a boil. Season to taste. Toss the
fettuccine into the sauce, mix in the creme fraiche and
serve immediately.

Michelle Bernstein, Delta Air Lines

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