Kamal Ghorui
Of all the disappointments in life, nothing is bigger than being told by a polite airport lounge staffer, that your credit card is no longer eligible for complimentary food. He doesn’t have to be discourteous to twist the knife. The more polite he is, the deeper is the wound. Then you remember, the pesky caller from your bank had offered to upgrade the card. But you had cut her off instantly and rudely. Karma catches up at the most inopportune moment, especially at airports, where, inexplicably, you covet food even when not exactly hungry.
The reason why you had trekked to the lounge, was the otherwise extortionate price of food and beverages. A loss of face later, as you begin the long walk back, an attractive caramel panna cotta tempts you, even though, generally, you would have dismissed it like terracotta. In the airport atmosphere, your sweet tooth grows in power.
Unless you are an executive travelling on your company’s expense, or a junket, or a honeymooner, airport food feels super overpriced. Even as your tummy rumbles abnormally. This is the closest men come to experiencing pregnancy cravings. And your taste buds become more active, the more you wait for boarding. Especially when you see someone returning from the lounge, with a satisfied look, coffee cup in one hand, and a sandwich in the other.
You are vaguely aware that plans are afoot, to sell economical food items at some airports.
Furtive glances provide no hint of any such kiosk. You also realise that stuff was relatively cheaper at the counters in the check-in area. Rates increase as you near the aircraft. Worse, as you have not pre-booked a meal, your sensory ordeal won’t end after boarding the flight. As luck would have it, the passenger next to you is on an ‘official trip’. So, the sound of the approaching food trolley doesn’t make her uncomfortable. You get a glass of water, she gets a neat tray. You scan the in-flight magazine, stare at the clouds. But out of sight is not always out of mind. The aroma wafting from such close quarters is nothing short of air turbulence.
On your next trip, you try to enter the lounge with an upgraded card, only to run into a long queue of people carrying more than one eligible card. Boarding announcements begin even before you reach the staffer.
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