I was on a flight with someone next to me that brought on the most disgusting shrimp dish that smelled up the whole cabin. So, no, I wasn't jealous of his dish. Please, if you bring on your own food (and I do), think of the 'smell' factor for the sake of the people around you.

I second that. I love kimichi with a passion, but, I have to admit, after someone next to me busted out an entire jar next to me and ate it, the entire cabin nearly went berserk. Kimchi stinks (in a wonderful way if you are eating it), please be courteous.

I usually take brie and turkey or roast beef on a baguette, or just brie if I am feeling meat averse. It is easy to eat, goes down easily, compact and not sloppy or sticky, and not too smelly. I always bring a cloth napkin as well--just nicer than paper.

Please, for the sake of those around you, think about how things smell. I hate bananas (strange I know) and am totally repulsed by the smell of them. I have more than once been on a plane where someone close by eats several bananas over the course of the flight and just leaves the peels out and about. Disgusting.

Totally with ya on the smell factor. I've often had my "picnic" in the airport waiting area. It's a little less awkward and clean-up is easier.

Simple Bites just did a great post on this as well, including some kid-friendly tips: http://www.simplebites.net/eat-well-spend-less-wholesome-homemade-food-for-air-travel/

I feel like I don't understand the TSA requirements well enough to bring a nice meal with me on the plane. Sometimes they let me bring yogurt, sometimes they don't. Sometimes they tell me jam is a liquid... sometimes it's no sauces... I don't want to risk packing a great lunch only to find that they will make me throw it out.
I guess that most of these grain- and legume- and sandwich-based meals above would be non-controversial. But still, it's hard to get creative.

Seriously? Complain about a banana on a plane? I don't even LIKE bananas but DAYUM. People will find anything to complain about. I just bring cheese and crackers. Boring, non-smelly cheese. That probably offends someone, too. But F-em.

I think I'd draw the line at the hot water for the pasta thing.

I always bring a sandwich of some sort. I don't typically eat sandwiches, so I make a fancy one as a treat. I try to keep the smell factor down or eat it in the airport, but I can only control that so much. If people have aversions to common foods--i.e. bananas--well, sorry, but it's not like I'm carrying tuna!

Kariwk...I'm with ya on the banana peels. I'll eat bananas, but the smell of the peels sitting out is nasty! (unfortunately, chances are good it would be my husband leaving them out!)

Between being afraid of being the obnoxious one with smelly food and just general issues of maneuverability while squished in the seats, I'm not really comfortable eating on planes, but some of these ideas are good for the waiting area...though I, too, feel it's too inconsistent what's allowed through security and what's not to really bring much more than a sandwich or fruit.

To me, it kind of defeats the point bringing anything that still has to be under 3.3 fl ounces and in my ziploc baggie. If you're a girl with makeup (or just most people in general I'd imagine) that bag fills up quick with toiletries. Yogurt or veggie dip isn't wasting that precious space in mine.

I agree with others- I've yet to have a good experience with people bringing their own food on a plane. I've seen people whip out tupperware full of spagetti that stinks, sandwiches that smell, you name it. In such closed quarters, just suck it up and eat something non-smelly like a granola bar or trail mix. Or better yet, eat before you go so you don't rush to the airport starving with a whole meal in your bag for once you're on the plane.

PS- show of hands how many people have been on the airline (I'm wanting to say its Delta?) that serves those "In flight snack" boxes and the main snack is a can of tuna. WHAT??? I've been on a few flights people buy them and without so much as a glance around them crack open that sucker and have the whole plane gagging.

@kariwk I totally understand about the bananas. My husband loves bananas but when we go on a road trip he's not allowed to eat them in the car.

We like to take lots of fresh fruit and wraps with lunch meat and veggies. Not exciting, but how much can you really enjoy a good meal while crammed in a tiny, noisy plane seat. This story about noise and the taste of food came out last year. We try to eat our homemade food during layovers because it's much more pleasant.

smells on planes are the worst. There is a reason they hand out food like pretzels and nuts, it's because they don't have an odor. If I MUST bring something it's always bread or a crunchy snack. On one occasion our flight was being held for a family of 5 who proceeded to bring on 3 big bags of Mc Donald's food with them. The smell about made me and my seat mate heave.
I also hate when people bring oranges..sure everyone likes a little orange odor, but not when it lingers for 3 hours...ugh.

I just want something that doesn't smell, isn't messy/crumbly, and that I don't have to eat with my hands.

My boyfriend does a lot of traveling for work. Last time he went on a flight, I sent him off with a tupperware of sliced apples, jumbo raisins, raw cashews and almonds. Nothing smelly, lots of healthy nutritious food, and it took about a minute to throw together.

People who say "eat before you get on the plane" aren't really considering the fact that some people take 24 hour plane rides.

@radioriot- but don't all extended plane trips come with provided meals? Every flight over a couple hours I've been on sure has.

I get not liking the food they serve on long flights, and packing your own meals then I guess is fine (but I know I'd just suck it up and eat what they give me personally) but just don't make it something that reeks.

@chompchompchomp: Yes, over a certain number of hours you are indeed served something. To supplement that comment though I have never yet been given my special pre-ordered meal, ever. Not once. Some of us really need to take food onto the plane and it can be hard to find something to bring between things getting crushed, smelling, need to be kept cold etc. Traveling for long periods can be very rough sometimes.

I almost always bring a peanut butter, honey and banana sandwich along with some baby carrots to snack on. It's a function of me being cheap and knowing that I have something healthy that will tide me over in the event of travel delays. I had no idea I was offending anyone.

@chompchomp, sure they do. I don't know if i'd call them "meals", however. Also, I don't enjoy spending $8 on crackers when I can bring my own.

Peanut butter/honey! Now that's a good combo. I'll have to remember that one. I think the only time I've really gagged on a plane ride is when the guy next to me took out his teeth to eat raw hot dogs. Not even kidding. I thought I was on candid camera.

Interesting topic - foods you can bring on a plane. I can't say I'm a fan of people bringing foods you can smell on a plane (you know, bad circulation and all). I'm all for great foods but sometimes, you just need to go with what's convenient. With that said, the comment stream was a pretty funny read (really, bananas?!).

As much as I love peanut butter sandwiches, I wouldn't attempt to take one on a plane. You never know when the announcement will come over the loudspeaker that it's a nut-free flight because someone onboard is allergic.

brilliant idea , given that flyiing has become become so unbearable

I just bought tickets for a very long trip from lax to japan. Being over 6' and cramped I'm trying to think of anything that can bring the slightest bit of comfort and snacks is definitely going to help. I for sure will be packing some PBJ. If someone has a nut allergy I'll try my best not to make out with them.

I completely concur on the smell factor. We once had a woman unwrap several boiled eggs from a napkin in her purse and eat them. I'm an egg fan, but seriously.

When my honey and I flew to the U.K., we brought trail mix and cookies, I think. The problem was the trip back, though, since we had been staying in hotels and couldn't make something to bring with us on the plane. I wound up buying some crappy, slightly squished sandwich on the Iceland Air plane for something like 6 or 8 euros (way too much, in other words). Will have to plan better next time, definitely.

We bring a variety of dried fruit, which works well, in addition to trail mix and a few other dry treats. Granted we are not taking super-long flights either.

In Germany the little cafes in the train stations sekk wonderful simple sandwiches of thinly sliced cucumbers & brie on crusty bread. Travels well, no smell, delicious.

sell, sell, too tired to be on the 'net!

@STH - you must be talking about Iceland Express - with Iceland Air you get the food for free.

I'm going to US in 2 weeks, that's about 24 hours travelling. I'm used to never take anything with me and I never even thought about taking food with me on the flight (I've never seen anyone do it) but for this one I'll take with me some cookies and Granola bars. I might even put some honey pops (mmmm) in a bag and take with me :D

Actually, the veggies stored in dip may not be allowed. A friend of mine flew, taking yogurt with him for lunch, and it was confiscated at security b/c it's close enough to a liquid/gel that those nutjobs figured it must be dangerous. He was livid (understandably so - it was _pre-packaged_ yogurt!).

As with many things, everything is fine when you do it and terrible when other people do it. Lots of 'ew, I don't like that' childish banter here in my opinion.

I think you should absolutely feel free to bring something along on a plain ride. You should try to be considerate of strong smells and you should either re-seal the container promptly after eating or call one of the stewards to come pick up your garbage.

(For instance, a banana smell while someone eats it might be unpleasant, but shouldn't linger long if they dispose of the peel properly.)

Gah, "plane" not "plain".

This post reminded me of the long flight to Moscow when my daughter was four. A friend of ours gave her an enormous cucumber from his garden and she crunched on that thing for most of the flight. It was scentless, hydrating and best of all fun- for the sake of watching the funny looks on the faces of the other passengers as they watched a toddler chow on a veggie as long as her arm.

This list of comments is a little absurd to me. Food smells somtimes, which is annoying. But so is the woman nearby whose earphones are broadcasting pop to the surrounding rows. So are the children who are told to "calm down" while kicking our seats over and over for five hour flights. Yes, tuna and McDonalds are a bit much, but other than that, people need to eat. I imagine that most of you were annoyed for 2 minutes and then went back to browsing SkyMall.

*sometimes. Lest someone pounce on me for a typo.

I travel a lot for work (25%, seems like a lot tho it could be worse). I have no problem with people bringing food on planes. You want to talk about smells? How about when a woman across the aisle decides this is the perfect time to apply nail polish?

I really like the idea of the peanut-butter & banana sandwich. I will have to use that b/c there aren't many vegetarian options at the quick-grab places in the airports.

I like to bring a shredded beet and carrot salad, dressed with lemon juice, salt and sesame seeds. For being so simple, it's surprisingly addicting. And, bonus, it holds up well.

Oh, I was just about to say I LOVE it when someone peels an orange on the plane. More so when that someone is me. I like fresh fruits and vegetables a lot, but have learned to expect squishes and leaks, so a banana would be among my last choices.

I like to bring things I can share with my seatmate. Not to force interaction, but just to make the whole ride more pleasant.

Warming pasta with hot water sounds messy and wasteful, but bringing a tube of concentrated broth to put in your hot water sounds delightful.

Nope, Tarte Aux Fraises, it was definitely Iceland Air from Seattle to Reykjavik. We were in Economy Class, so it may be that food is free in the other classes.

I love to bring homemade chili on the plain to munch on with garlic pita chips. Or a fresh gorgonzola salid. Somtimes I will bring fish and chips and will steem them over a hot cup of water to worm them up.

I've flown cross country many times and never gotten a thing to eat ( Continental). Most times I changed planes, or the plane landed and went back up but I didn't get off. They don't have to feed you. I was on a flight last year where they refused to give water out, one had to buy it. A mom with a baby was unable to mix formula, until we fellow passengers took up a collection to get her a bottle of water. One of those things I wouldn't believe unless I had been there.
I remember as a child being fascinated by the tiny hot meals we were served, with the special butter knives with an acute angle to the blade to allow you to cut your food in close quarters.

As for the tuna snack packs, I would figure that if the airline sold it to me, it was OK to eat it on the plane. Also, having just PAID for the tuna, and being hungry enough that hunger beat out thrift, I would just eat the damn thing.

I'm not so sure that bringing a peanut butter sandwich is an issue for fellow travelers. A hospital study a few years ago concluded this:
"Just smelling peanut butter will not cause an allergic reaction because there is no peanut protein in an odor."

It's not food exactly, but my carry-on now includes a 1 oz liquor bottle that I refill at home with a nice Scotch, and have with a bit of ice in a plastic cup when the beverage cart comes around. But that's just me.

We always take baby carrots, presliced cheese (good cheese cut at home, not kraft stuff!), crackers, nuts, hard boiled eggs sometimes, and fruit. I've never had a problem with TSA, but then again, none of that had to be "out for inspection" either. We also take empty water bottles with the tops off and clearly empty, and then fill them at a water fountain past security.

Oh, and with the kids, I always take M and Ms for bribery during the flight. Two when settled calmly in the seats, two after take off, 6 after you eat your meal nicely and quietly... after that they watch a movie on the laptop and are asleep generally. That gets us through 5-ish hour flights relatively stress-free!

That carrot-beet salad mentioned above sounds divine though! Might have to add that for the next flight.

Add me to the list of people who gag at the smell of bananas. Although I would never say anything about it because most people like them and I'd just get the crazy person side-eye.

I would probably avoid the hot water on the plane, though. After hearing about the state of the water on planes (from a pilot), I've avoided the coffee as well.

I always pack nuts and dried fruit for a flight. And I always have my skinny insulated travel mug with me and some tea bags. It's usually enough to get me to the next touch-down or in-flight meal.

If I'm organized or lucky I really like to have some fresh baked goods along with me. When I flew home from SF it was a batch of mini-financiers, from NY it was rainbow cookies, from HK it was char-siu bao and pineapple buns.

To rebu and others who might do as he does, and pack a small "mini" of booze in your quart-size zippy of toiletries: This is against regulations. You cannot serve yourself alcohol on board an airplane. You can buy a bottle at a duty-free shop in the airport (if you qualify). When it is delivered to you on board you can ask the flight attendants to serve you from it. You can bring a zippy FULL of minis and hand them to the flight attendants and ask them to serve them to you. But you cannot serve yourself.

For the record: I'm a flight attendant with 15 years experience.

I think I may have these and blog about it at TheFoodAttendant.com. What do you think?

As others have mentioned, I would not eat a lot of these on the plane due to the smelly factor.

Dear Faith Durand,
Its very useful and delicious recipes.I usually take dried fruit and nuts.They don't take a lot of room , are easy to eat, and are not smelly. Please remember that currently many airports don't allow liquids such as salad dressing, yogurt, or cream cheese through security.