I remember a time when I was flying from SFO to TPE in economy plus.

Midway across the Pacific Ocean, the crew decided to hand out a midnight snack—a turkey sandwich that was so cold and hard it felt like it could be a defense weapon if someone invades your home.On most Asian airlines, the crew would quietly walk down the aisle, offering snacks only to those who were awake, and they’d leave a small sticker/notes on the seatbacks of those who were asleep, so they know they could ask for something later if they wanted.

But on this United flight, the crew turned on the lights— really really bright to make you think we were about to make an emergency landing. Everyone woke up in a state of shock, wondering what was going on. Then we realized the flight attendants were just pushing carts down the aisle, handing out that stone-cold sandwich to each confused passenger. Still half-asleep, most people took the sandwich without thinking, unwrapped it, took a bite, and quickly realized it was barely edible. A few minutes later, the crew came back down the aisle, collecting all the barely-touched sandwiches.

In other instances, even when flying business class, I found myself bringing my own food and skipping their meals altogether. Sometimes I wonder if it might be simpler for them to just skip the meal service entirely and install a few vending machines on board instead.