I received this explanation of the meal service
quote:
I use Virgin Atlantic a fair bit on the India/US routes, as also BA,
mainly because I travel to SFO and need to break journey in London too.
The meal shown is one of the 'Hindu vegetarian meals' served by VS on the
India-UK route, and is quite a hit with the vegetarian travellers ex-BOM.
You get many of them, and not just Indian Hindus, who ask for it.
It consists of:-
a) Dhokla served with a imli chutney, which is why he thought it was sweet.
Next to it is the biscuit crumble eggless custard. For some reason, they
serve the starter with the sweet, something about the way the Gujaratis want
their meal timelined.
b) A fried open veggie sandwich, quite popular for those who like their
Bombay street food cooked/fried in front of them, served in a butter sauce.
This is the savoury, again, brilliant and tasty. High fat, sure.
c) Lightly sauteed veggies served with kadhee and with mashed potatoes.
That's not mustard, though the kadhee is kind of tangy and the assortment of
breads served with this dish is usually wonderful. One reason for this is
that people got fed up of paneer. I am also aware that the passenger could
have asked for the spicy Indian daal-chawal-subzi-roti casserole, but they
often run out on this route if not pre-ordered. The kadhee could also be pitla.
d) I usually see 4 biscuits in a small packet, and the cabin crew give you
as many as you want. These are slightly sweet nan khatais, again, well known
in Mumbai.
e-f) They use the older A-340/300s on this route, often the one returned by
Virgin Nigeria. And also the Gatwick 747s, which are for the bozo charter
crowd headed for the cheaper Carib holidays. Terrible IFE either way on
aircraft which are being phased out, thus, placed on London-BOM.
g) That's again basic curds, bio-something, supposed to be ultra-healthy,
served with a kind of flat tasting biscuit like the nan khatai, called fan
in Bombay, which those who know about it know that you dunk it in your
tea/doffee and then chew on it.
+++
I think the passenger just didn't read the menu, and somehow got the Hindu
veg, and thus this letter. To a vegetarian Gujarati, this sort of food is heaven, as also to many other people who like their food spicy or tasty, not bland.
Personally, I enjoy food on VS a lot more than I do on BA. Although, on BA,
they have this 'raid the larder' option in Business Class which is
wonderful.
Best wishes/Veeresh Malik aka malikifx . . .
Yes, from our old friend Malik.
Thank you Malik. That was actually quite useful info, given how far that customer letter has been spreading around.
