As a vegetarian and wannabe vegan (hard to kick the cheese habit!), I wanted to be sure to order vegetarian meals ahead of time for my flight. On my recent flight to Thailand, I flew Asiana Airlines. They have a number of special meals, including an “Asian/Hindu Vegetarian Meal” and a “Vegetarian Oriental Meal,” which is actually vegan and was described to me as being “like Chinese food.” (Visit this link for all the meal options: CLICK HERE)

I am glad I ordered the “Vegetarian Oriental Meal,” since the main dishes were delicious, and the people with the special meals get served first! The one shown in the main photo above was the first and best meal. The main dish was stir-fried vegetables and tofu on a bed of rice. Also mixed in were some ginkgo nuts, which I had never had before, and they were delicious! The cucumber salad came with a fat-free vinaigrette, which was terrible. I am not sure why they think that vegetarians or vegans would also need fat free dressing (the person next to me had a regular vinaigrette for their standard meal), although perhaps the other dressings had some milk products in them. A nice basic oil and vinegar dressing would be preferable. The meal also came with a roll (with butter substitute) and dessert was cut fruit. The later meals I had all had great main dishes, but the side dishes could be better. For example, one side dish was a salad of chickpeas and red bell peppers with a very bland dressing that could have used some lemon. Olive oil and lemon would have been great as a vegan dressing. So aside from the side dishes, I would recommend the “Vegetarian Oriental Meal.” Next time I think I will try the “Asian/Hindu Vegetarian Meal” for comparison. Bon appétit!