In the know: So, this is why cabin crew bring their own food on board

Look, we all know airline food is hardly the most sought-after cuisine on the planet.

And yet, the vast majority of us have tucked in to the cellophane-covered trays on countless occasions while travelling abroad.

You're hungry, you're tired, and you're teetering perilously close to a  food mood, so you tuck into the meal with little regard for the process behind its creation, right?

Well, one flight attendant is here to school you.

Contributing to a Quora thread, Shreyas P gave an insight into mile-high meals, and now we kind of wished we hadn't stumbled across this particular conversation.

"The food on your tray is prepared not in the galley but in the aircraft catering which is often done 12 hours before and even days before the aircraft departure,” Shreyas tells Quora users.

“Now, how many such industries do you know where the hot or cold meal was made days before you consume it?"

She has a point.

So, with timing aside, let's talk ingredients.

"The scrambled egg or the omelette that you just had was not only egg but can be a mix of egg and other substitute." she explained. "That cut fruit which is on your tray still looks fresh and how is that possible when it was cut hours before the departure, have you ever wondered?"

Yes, but frankly, we're often too hungry to care. There, we said it.

Air travel often restricts our palates meaning the food we consume is often seasoned within an inch of its life in order to satisfy hungry passengers.

"[Air pressure] causes our taste buds and sense of smell to go partially numb, compared to on ground. This has major impact on how food tastes and smells," she explains.

"This makes it super bland. So airline catering in recent years has really pumped up the spices, salts, and fats – all to make your mouth happy.”

If you want to show people you know your stuff, do like the cabin crew do and pack your own meals as Shreya says: "A passenger bringing his own food shows a lot of awareness.”