Food for Thought

Recently I flew with BlackoutMan to the heart of Africa. He worked his magic on the kids and I tried to dazzle a starlet but the best part of the adventure was the food service on Emirates Airlines. They have dozens of meal choices based on race, religious persuasion and dietary constraints and because every leg is so long they come around with your preferred meal 3 or four times while in the air. The airline offers superb meals if you order from the in-flight menu or when prowling the Business Class Lounge during layovers yet the flipside is letting your traveling partner hardwire your trip in advance with meals special to your religious beliefs. These specifically arranged meals come out long before everyone else's food with much fanfare as the steward can muster when serving a Bland Meal to a bearded miscreant from Maine. Like dietary restrictions?