Special diets

Dialogue

Having served drinks to the passengers, the cabin crew are now about to serve lunch. Mr. Marshall, sitting comfortably in his window seat, is approached by an air hostess. She knows that a special vegetarian diet has been requested for him.

Mr. Marshall: Feeling hungry?

Passenger: Starving. I didn’t have time for breakfast. I had a bit of a scramble to catch the flight.

Mr. Marshall: Well, it doesn’t look as if we’ll have long to wait. They seem to be busy in the galley back there.

Passenger: Yes, and I swear that I smell steak.

Mr. Marshall: There’s a menu in the pocket of the seat-back in front of you. Have a look.

Passenger: Yes, I was right. Look at this. Smoked Scotch salmon to start with, followed by steak with button mushrooms, garden peas and croquette potatoes. Then there’s Napoleon gateau. That’s fabulous. And look. There’s English cheese, cream crackers and coffee. There’s even de-caffeinated coffee, too.

Mr. Marshall: That should take care of your appetite. Sure you’ll be able to eat it all?

Passenger: I’ll finish it, don’t worry. You hungry?

Mr. Marshall: Fairly. I hope they remembered my diet.

Passenger: Diet?

Mr. Marshall: Yes, I don’t eat meat.

Passenger: How can you have something that’s not on the menu? After all, this is an aircraft, not a fully equipped restaurant.

Mr. Marshall: It’s easy. You just tell the airline when you book your seat. They’ll fix you up with virtually anything you want.

Passenger: Really? Then I’ll be interested to see what they give you.

Mr. Marshall: Ah, here comes the hostess.

Air hostess: We’re about to serve lunch, sir. We do have a special meal for you and you can have a choice.

Mr. Marshall: Will it be a strict vegetarian meal?

Air hostess: Of course, sir. We have a varied selection of dishes. I’m sure you’ll enjoy your meal.

Mr. Marshall: Do you get many vegetarians travelling with you?

Air hostess: Yes, quite a few. It’s easy if they have the foresight to alert us as you did when you booked your flight. But we’re never caught out. We always carry tins of vegetarian food, like rice pulao and laganshula, for anyone who has forgotten to warn us.

Mr. Marshall: Will I have a hot main course?

Air hostess: Yes, we can supply hot or cold main courses. Would you like spiced vegetable stew with rice pulao?

Mr. Marshall: That will be excellent. What else can I have?

Air hostess: Vegetable hors d’ce uvre or vegetable soup, fruit or a sweet.

Mr. Marshall: The horse d’ce uvre and fruit, please. By the way, do you do many different meals? I was thinking about Hindus and Moslems.

Air hostess: We cater for everyone. As I said, it does help if we are warned of a passenger’s requirements, but we always carry a supply of special meals just in case.

Mr. Marshall: What sort of special meals?

Air hostess: We have kosher and kedassia meals, dishes for Orthodox Moslems, and vegetarians like yourself. We can also produce any individual diet that a diabetic might ask for.

Mr. Marshall: That’s incredible. Even a good hotel would be hard put to do all that-and here we are flying at 35,000 ft.

Air hostess: It’s all part of the service. We like to think that our food is as good as you’ll get in a five-star hotel. Now I’ll fetch your meal.

Passenger: I see what you were trying to tell me. It’s quite incredible.

Air hostess: Let me pull down the seat tables for you. Here’s your meal tray. Another air hostess will bring your special meal in a few minutes, Mr. Marshall.

Passenger: This looks great. Do you mind if I start?

Mr. Marshall: No, of course not. Anyway, here’s mine already.

Air hostess: Would you like some wine with your meal?

Mr. Marshall: A burgundy would be nice.

Passenger: Yes, one of those bottles of red wine will do me. Small, though, aren’t they?

Mr. Marshall: Just the right size for anyone travelling alone. Your good health.

Passenger: That steak was beautiful, really tender. How was your meal? I must say I never realized a vegetarian meal could look so good.

Mr. Marshall: It was good. I wish I could always get the same service on the ground.

Air hostess: Coffee, sir?

Mr. Marshall: Black, please. And could I have a brandy?

Passenger: Say, that’s a great idea. Same for me, too, please.

Mr. Marshall: You really are enjoying your flight, aren’t you?

Passenger: You can say that again. This may be my first flight, but it certainly won’t be my last.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16