ネパール航空　機内食①成田→カトマンズ～Nepal Airlines In-Flight Meals (Part 1: Narita → Kathmandu)

ネパール人のダイから、

「機内食は期待しちゃダメだよ。」
「お酒も出ないと思ったほうがいい。出ても、自分の席まで回ってくる頃にはなくなってるかもしれない。」

そんな前情報を聞いていた。

だからラウンジでビールと大好きなパイナップルを食べて、

さらに成田空港で缶ビールを2本買ってから機内へ。

これで準備完了。

離陸して1時間ほどすると、機内食の時間。

「Rice or noodle?」

いくつかの国を旅してきたけれど、「ごはんか麺か」で選ぶ機内食は初めてだった。

周りはネパール人と思われる人ばかり。

みんな何を選ぶのかな、と見ていると圧倒的に「Rice」。

それなら私も、とごはんを選んだ。

ドリンクは水かジュース。

ジュースはフルーツやスプライトなど甘いものばかりで、
とりあえずオレンジジュースを頼んでみたら、びっくりするほど甘かった。

カレーはスパイスのいい香り。

でも、ごはんとの比率には思わず笑ってしまう。

もちろん私は缶ビールをプシュッ。（周りで飲んでいる人は誰もいなかった。）

カレーは少し塩気が強いけれど、ビールにはちょうどいい。

スパイシーだけど、辛さはそれほどでもない。

ごはんは全部食べ切れそうになく、パンにも手を伸ばしてみた。

ぱさぱさで、なかなか飲み込めなかった。

ふと隣を見ると、隣の方はカレーに付属の塩をさらにかけて完食していた。

デザートは、見るからに甘そう。

半分に割ってみると、ナッツが入ったココア風味のエナジーボールにココアソース。

予想どおりの激甘だった。

砂糖の甘さが前面に出ていて、何を食べているのかよくわからないくらい。

食事が終わる頃になると、

「Coffee or tea?」
パンが乗っていた容器がそのままカップ代わりになる。

せっかくネパールへ行くのだからと紅茶をお願いした。

この紅茶は温かくて、ほっとするおいしさだった。

到着の1時間ほど前になると、軽食が配られた。

ドリンクだけは前回と同じで、水か激甘ジュース。

今度はミックスジュースを選んでみたけれど、やっぱり甘い。

内心、「温かい飲み物が飲みたい……」と思っていた。

黄色いものは野菜入りのスパニッシュオムレツのようなもの。

茶色いものはココア風味のパンなのか、ケーキなのか。

オムレツはかなり塩味が強く、しかもピーマン入り。

大人になった今でもピーマンが苦手な私は、ここで断念。

パン（ケーキ？）も、これまたぱさぱさで激甘。

ジュースも甘いので、水だけでは流し込めず、ほとんど残してしまった。

ごめんなさい。

隣の方は、またケチャップをたっぷりかけて、きれいに完食していた。

そういえば、成田空港で出発を待っている間、おにぎりやパンを食べているネパール人をたくさん見かけた。

「あれは機内食を見越していたのかな。」

そんなことを思い返しながら、この先の旅に少しだけ不安を覚えていた。

このときはまだ、あのお家のごはんに出会うことになるなんて、
思ってもいなかった。

English Version

A Nepali dai (older brother) once gave me some advice before my trip.

"Don't expect too much from the in-flight meals."
"And don't count on getting any alcohol. Even if they do serve it, it might be gone by the time they reach your seat."

With those words in mind, I enjoyed a beer and my favorite pineapple in the airport lounge before boarding.

Then I bought two cans of beer at Narita Airport and took them onto the plane with me.

I was ready.

About an hour after takeoff, it was time for the first meal.

"Rice or noodle?"

I've traveled to several countries, but this was the first time I'd ever been asked to choose between rice and noodles on a flight.

Most of the passengers around me appeared to be Nepali, so I watched to see what they chose.

Almost everyone answered, "Rice."

So I did the same.

For drinks, the choices were water or juice.

The juices included fruit juice, Sprite, and other sweet soft drinks. I ordered orange juice, only to discover that it was much sweeter than I had expected.

The curry smelled wonderfully aromatic.

The amount of rice, however, made me smile.

I cracked open one of my beers. I seemed to be the only person drinking.

The curry was a little salty, but that actually paired well with the beer.

It was nicely spiced without being particularly hot.

There was no way I could finish all the rice, so I reached for the bread instead.

It was dry and difficult to swallow.

When I glanced over, the passenger next to me was adding the little packet of salt that came with the meal to the curry—and happily finishing every bite.

The dessert looked sweet before I even tasted it.

I broke it in half and found something like a cocoa-flavored energy ball filled with nuts, topped with chocolate sauce.

It was exactly as sweet as I had imagined.

The sweetness of the sugar overwhelmed everything else, to the point where I could hardly tell what I was eating.

As everyone finished their meal, the cabin crew came around again.

"Coffee or tea?"

The paper container that had held the bread became our cup.

Since I was on my way to Nepal, choosing tea felt like the right thing to do.

It was warm, comforting, and surprisingly good.

About an hour before landing, another light meal was served.

This time there was no choice.

The drinks were the same as before—water or very sweet juice.

I tried the mixed fruit juice, but it was just as sweet.

All I could think was, I wish I had something hot to drink...

The yellow item looked like a vegetable Spanish omelet.

The brown one was somewhere between cocoa bread and cake.

The omelet was quite salty and, unfortunately for me, filled with green peppers.

Even as an adult, I still can't eat green peppers, so I had to give up on that.

The bread—or perhaps it was cake—was once again dry and incredibly sweet.

With the sugary juice alongside it, even water wasn't enough to help me finish it.

I ended up leaving most of it behind.

Sorry.

Meanwhile, my neighbor added plenty of ketchup to the omelet and polished off the entire meal.

Thinking back, I remembered seeing so many Nepali passengers eating rice balls and bread while waiting at Narita Airport.

Maybe they already knew what the in-flight meals would be like.

That thought crossed my mind as I quietly wondered what the rest of the journey would be like.

At that moment, I had no idea that I was about to discover some of the most memorable home-cooked meals I had ever tasted.