This is my first time flying with Turkish Airlines. There’s something exciting about using an airline for the first time: Would they be different? Better than the standard? Turkish certainly strives to be. They offer all economy class passengers a printed menu with two dining options. As we wait for our dinners, we explore the thoughtful goodie bag that was distributed along with the menu. We get 10MB of free internet during this flight, but I have yet to successfully connect. We also get a generous 20th century-style baggage allowance, 2x23kg checked baggage, 1 carry-on, 1 personal item. And on my months-long journey, this translates into substantial savings, as I will not need to buy replacement items or clothing while in Europe.
Dinner was as good as the reviews I read. To me, the highlight was the baba ganoush. They used an extra ingredient that gave it lift and made it taste amazing. I wish I can tell you what that ingredient is.
As our take-off was delayed by an hour and a half, I’ll need to be well-rested before I storm the airport in Istanbul and rush to catch my connection. Knowing that wine makes me sleepy, I made sure to have some with my dinner. The attendant made a point of telling me the wine was Turkish. I don’t pretend to understand how Turkish culture balances east and west, but I did not expect for wine to be served. And boy, it was good. In comparison with average-priced US wine, this Cabernet Sauvignon Sirrah surpassed it, and by far.
OK, going back to the HG Wells series (Time after Time) on the entertainment system, since there’s still no internet. Hoping to get sleepy soon.
