January 7, 2026, 10:49 am | Read time: 3 minutes
Do you also look a bit enviously at the luxury-spoiled passengers in First Class on flights before taking your seat in “economy class”? Up front, there’s not only more legroom but also significantly better food. Or maybe not. A viral incident on a United Airlines flight—specifically, a “Bowl of Sadness”—has turned these assumptions upside down. TRAVELBOOK tells the funny and somewhat symbolic story.
Airplane food is not exactly known as a culinary highlight. That’s why a researcher from the renowned Oxford University has looked into how meals can be enhanced in taste at cruising altitude; TRAVELBOOK delves deeper into this in this article. But in First Class, no tricks should be necessary. The German airline Lufthansa, for example, promises “star-level cuisine and beverages” in its highest travel class.
And you can generally eat quite well on United Airlines, too—at least, that’s what genuine user reviews on Reddit suggest. In a related discussion, several First-Class meals served by the U.S. airline are highly praised, including a salmon bowl, braised short ribs, and enchiladas. All the more astonishing is the case of United Airlines passenger Peyman Milanfar. What was served to him raised more questions than it whetted his appetite.
Passenger Posts First Class Meal and Goes Viral
“Hey @united, is this a joke?” Milanfar writes in his post on X. He flew more than five hours in First Class, “and this is the sad dinner you served me.” The mysterious meat between tired lettuce leaves looked like it came from a 3D printer, and the chunky cheese cubes reminded him of cafeteria food. And to cut the whole, apparently rock-hard tomato, he would need a chainsaw.
Peyman Milanfar concludes the incident as “truly unbelievable.” So unbelievable that he thinks it would be appropriate for the airline to refund his ticket price. He would donate this to the charity World Central Kitchen. This way, the culinary disaster could be turned into a humanitarian success, he explains sarcastically.
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User Reactions Speak Volumes
One might assume that such a case would provoke Schadenfreude—especially among people who cannot afford to travel in the supposedly noble First Class. But the numerous comments under his post read very differently. Many X users agree with Milanfar—”throwing a whole tomato into the bowl is crazy,” writes one. The general tone of the comments: Traveling in First Class used to be much more exclusive. “Now it’s all about points, miles, and the right credit cards,” it says. The served “Bowl of Sadness” thus has a certain symbolic power.
United Airlines Publicly Apologized
Among the many comments is one from the airline itself. United apologized via X to the dissatisfied passenger and asked him for more information via direct message to investigate the case. Whether there will be a refund is uncertain. What is certain, however, is that the served dish is not listed on the official United menu. And for good reason, as you can see.