Q. My husband and I will be traveling to Paris on Air India next month and he's concerned about the inflight meal. In addition to his sensitive stomach, he's not much for Indian food. I'm sure there would be something mild available for people with dietary restrictions but he isn't convinced, and now he's considering bringing his own snacks. Can you shed any light?
A. Well, first of all, it's always a good idea to toss a snack or two in your carry-on. These days you never know when you might sit on the tarmac for hours on end (cough cough, JetBlue, cough cough). As far as your meal concerns go, I wouldn't worry. Most airline food, even cuisine as notoriously kicky as Indian, is blanded down to suit the general palate. Also, Air India is actually very good about meeting the various dietary needs of its passengers, with plenty of options - even in coach.
If you need a visual aid when relaying this to your husband, you can check out airlinemeals.net, one of our favorite sites, for images and info on inflight meals served by every airline under the sun, with ratings and comments from passengers. Very entertaining stuff.