Odds And Ends

Until this week, American Express scrutinized how its cardholders spent money, searching for similarities to other customers with bill-paying problems.

This unappetizing in-flight meal and broken monitor inspired an amusing letter to Virgin Atlantic.

I gave up on airline food a long time ago, at least in economy, which is generally my lot in life. I mean, even before the flight-as-commodity-rather-than-experience model became the industry standard, did you ever really want the chicken or the beef? Nevertheless, I am fairly obsessed with the topic (if you’ve never explored the addictive Airlinemeals.net, check it out), so I loved finding this complaint letter, published in Britain's Telegraph, that the passenger Oliver Beale wrote to Sir Richard Branson after taking a Virgin flight from Mumbai to London. It's become something of an Internet mini-phenomenon, with good reason.

Look at this Richard. Just look at it: [see image 1, above]. I imagine the same questions are racing through your brilliant mind as were racing through mine on that fateful day. What is this? Why have I been given it? What have I done to deserve this? And, which one is the starter, which one is the desert?
You don’t get to a position like yours Richard with anything less than a generous sprinkling of observational power so I KNOW you will have spotted the tomato next to the two yellow shafts of sponge on the left. Yes, it’s next to the sponge shaft without the green paste. That’s got to be the clue hasn’t it. No sane person would serve a desert with a tomato would they. Well answer me this Richard, what sort of animal would serve a desert with peas in.”  Read more... (272 words, 2 images, estimated 1:05 mins reading time)

A streak of C and C-minus grades for subway lines in the Rider Report Card program administered by the M.T.A. was broken.