Tomato juice is one of the most popular drinks served by flight attendants, yet how often do you see someone drinking the red beverage with two feet planted firmly on the ground? For years, airlines have been baffled at the demand for tomato juice, and why such an odd drink is so satisfying 35,000 feet up.
What’s even more perplexing is that airplane food generally tastes incredibly bland. It’s like the food wasn’t prepared with any salt, spice, or flavor whatsoever. So, why would tomato juice taste better while other foods taste worse? It might sound crazy, but is it possible our taste buds get so bent out of shape during a flight that it changes our perception of tastes?
To find out, we need a quick lesson on how we taste our food.
Most of us know that we have five basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. Umami is often the least recognized, but can be described as savory or meaty. Think of foods like soy sauce, mushrooms, and gravies. These five tastes all have dedicated receptors in our mouth that can communicate with our brain while we’re eating.
Airplane food is incredibly bland. It’s like the food wasn’t prepared with any…
