Alton Brown's Dream Food Show Is A Blue Sky Idea
In addition to teaching us the science behind our favorite foods while hosting "Good Eats," Alton Brown is an expert on planes and flying — he's had his pilot's license for over a decade and has flown all around the country on his numerous tours. With all the traveling he's done he's bound to have opinions on airplane food, but he's more interested in a different kind of aviation-related cuisine — Brown has a rather genius idea for a food show about municipal airports.
Brown is interested in flying into the small municipal and regional airports that dot the United States and seeing what they have to offer. According to Brown, these small airports will have a crew car that is available to borrow, usually a decommissioned Crown Victoria once used by the police. Some of the towns that play host to these airfields are bound to be hiding some surprisingly delicious food and interesting people. We imagine it would play out like an episode of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," only with a small prop plane instead of the classic cars Guy Fieri prefers. The premise is unusual, but we would watch it.
Alton Brown brings gourmet food on his airplane
Mr. Brown is so enamored with flying that he usually flies himself for his book tours along with a co-pilot and perhaps a guest or two. But he doesn't have to suffer like the rest of us with the indignities of TSA or airplane meals – he brings his own food along, and it can be whatever he wants to eat. There's even room to prepare a meal for guests.
Shrimp is a consistent feature of in-flight meals on Mr. Brown's plane — shrimp cocktail with a horseradish-heavy cocktail sauce is a favorite, as is shrimp salad. He's also been known to serve egg salad sandwiches and nuts, but nothing that could create a mess like soup. But the food has to be strongly flavored because food just tastes different at high altitudes, which is why airplane food gets a bad rap. But luckily for Mr. Brown, he has the ability to create his own in-flight experience.