Healthy airport food is not an oxymoron

Last month, before my daughter, Kaley, flew home from San Francisco, she headed over to the Ebisu restaurant on the international concourse and dined on udon noodles and vegetable sushi. She does this whenever she flies.

"Airplane food is either a joke or nonexistent," said Kaley, a registered dietitian and nutritionist. "So I try to find something healthy to eat at the airport before I fly."

Until recently, healthy airport food was an oxymoron. Most of it could raise your cholesterol faster than an MD-80 could reach cruising altitude. But 30 years ago, what it lacked in vitamins it made up for in personality.

An airport restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, used to serve the best barbecued pork sandwich in the world. Pilots would call ahead and have it delivered to our plane. Many of us would fly the trip just for the pork.

And a small café at Albuquerque International Airport dished up an enchilada that made you think you were flying with angels. The guacamole was so thick on top you could hardly see the beef or the chicken.

And then there was the Old World omelet, filled with bratwurst and hash browns, that Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport served in its café. My children used to erase the word "World" from the chalkboard menu and refer to it as the "Old omelet," which never stopped anyone from ordering it.

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?), all those blue-plate specials gave way to the familiar chains selling fast food, which put green Jell-O and chicken-fried steak out to pasture. And for many years our food choices at airports have been standard mall fare. The only surprises dished out at airports became occasional on-time departures.

But there are changes in the air. According to a recent report by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, healthy choices at airports are taking off. The committee began reporting on airport fodder seven years ago. For travelers looking for a healthy repast, this is NOT the winter of discontent. The study surveyed 15 airports and found 80 percent of the airport restaurants offer low-fat vegetarian options.

Leading the pack was Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, where 94 percent of terminal restaurants offered at least one low-fat, zero-cholesterol entree. And some of the choices are not just healthy, but actually taste good. Dining on the spinach enchiladas or the guacamole at Cantina Loredo is a treat, particularly if you wash it down with a margarita.

Our own Chicago O'Hare International Airport tied for second place with Detroit Metropolitan International Airport with 93 points. Both airports offer some tasty alternatives to salty fries and greasy burgers. The Ciao Gourmet Market's walnut and fruit salad is loaded with fruits and vegetables and tastes better than any of the for-purchase foods the airlines sell onboard.

When my cousin Lynne Johnston flies out of Detroit, she picks up a grilled vegetable sandwich from Max and Erma's, which she says beats a bag of pretzels at cruising altitude any day.

Still, last week when I sank my teeth into a bite of portobello and red pepper brioche, purchased at Fox Skybox before I boarded my flight to Cancun, Mexico, I felt a little sad. I miss the mystery meat with the sausage gravy. I miss the "catch of the day" that was often no more than a can of tuna mixed with mayo and served on day-old bread.

I guess I miss the excitement that airport food represented when air travel was an adventure instead of an ordeal. I miss it all. Well, almost. The green Jell-O had to go.

Gail Todd, a free-lancewriter,worked as a flightattendant for more than 30years. She can be reached viae-mail at gailtodd@aol.com.