We hope this past break didn't find you sitting in a terminal with a two-going-on-six hour delay.
If it did, however, you might be familiar with the vagabond-esque airport food scavenging adventure that lures in wayward travelers. The absolute worst feeling is the heart-sinking realization that after all the energy expended in staking out the food in your terminal, a measured evaluation of the options leaves you with nothing better than the trail mix section of the magazine stand.
There are two camps when it comes to airport food: those who get it before security and those who get it after. The rationale for the former is that while you're checking in you can see all of your food options, whereas you have no idea what awaits you in the food court beyond; better safe than sorry, load up on your eats while the opportunity still presents itself.
On the other hand, the after-security proponents would argue that the better food is obviously in the food court and in the departure terminals, so even though you might not know exactly what you're getting yourself into, hold out; it'll be worth it. Either way, it's personal preference.
Whether your world runs on Dunkin' or you're a Starbucks fiend, there's a certain something about traveling that brings out the coffee drinker in everyone.
What's funny is how much sway coffee can have on your travels. We've all had those flights that seem to leave from the absolute farthest gate possible. So far, in fact, that you begin to seriously consider booting the old people off those airport go-carts so that you can take one to go from A5 all the way to D27. If there isn't a coffee stand somewhere along the way, you might as well reschedule your flight.
When we were younger, airports had certain strong connotations attached to them, namely Auntie Anne's Pretzels and Cinnabon. TCBY frozen yogurt is up there too. To some, these places can be as important a part of airport travel as the plane itself. While our parents were in the ticket lines or watching bags or doing other "important" travel-related things, we would keep busy by sniffing out the closest pretzel and cinnamon bun venders. While both these treats are easily big enough to share, that thought never crossed our 10-year-old minds: They were ours, by right, and we intended to enjoy them in full. True, this sort of thinking usually resulted in stomachaches during the flight.
Particularly in the airport renovations of the last five to 10 years, airports have incorporated increasingly chic fare into their offerings, meeting demands for wine bars outside of sky lounges, and oyster bars instead of Harley Davidson themed restaurants. Whether you think the airport is a reasonable forum for soft pretzels or the final frontier for the slow food revolution, there are people willing to spend big for a civilized meal.
Forget Freshens, there are foodie snack stalls boasting five dollar smoothies into which you can have them drop a fresh banana which they'll literally peel in front of you (as seen while noting the overwhelming presence of the Cibo Expresses throughout JFK this past weekend, for example). This isn't even touching on what's out there in the big wide world of international airports; Logan might have a Legal Seafood, but apparently the cocktail bar in the Changi airport in Singapore is next to a rooftop pool. Whatever, that would probably freeze in Boston anyway.
Winston Berkman is a sophomore majoring in international relations; Charlotte Bourdillon is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. They can be reached at Winston.Berkman@tufts.edu and Charlotte.Bourdillon@tufts.edu, respectively.
