Chai

The humble and undervalued cup of chai is often sidelined in comparison to other drinks and beverages when it comes to serving the same in some aircrafts. I noticed this during a flight from Dubai to Nairobi on December 3rd. 

The airline was marking the 54th National Day of United Arab Emirates ( Eid Al Etihad) and had some special items on the menu. However, I wasn’t looking forward to the specials which were delicious of course. All I was craving for was for a cup of hot tea for which I had to maintain patience for nearly two hours.

First we had to wait for a long seemingly unending half an hour post the boarding before the flight could take off. There’s obviously no service at the time of waiting unless there’s an emergency. The rush of packing luggage, checking out from the hotel and reaching the airport wasn’t enough. Then it was the Tax refund queue, checking in, security checks, immigration checks and finally VAT claims and it was already past lunchtime so we grabbed a quick bite. 

The boarding gate as usual ( Africa sector) was like an eternity away.

I was the sixth last passenger to board upon the constant calls for boarding. After all that hassle the only thing that could have easily energized me was a freshly brewed cup of tea but I was willing to compromise with a tea bag infused chai. 

The wait was long as I was told to wait because the air hostesses were occupied in preparation of meal services. I surrendered to their will and waited for the food services. To add to my woes the special vegetarian meal got served before the rest of all. Now the wait for my humble cup of chai seemed longer than usual for I had finished my meal before the food service was done for others around me. Yet, no sign of tea!! 

Upon asking for chai I was again told to wait. I fail to understand that if they can come to some people repeatedly and cater to their requirements of wine or juices etc even as they relish second servings why could they not serve chai to a passenger requesting for it. They came to clear up the meal trays and I asked again and was told to wait as that was a clearing up time on their schedule. 

Finally the chai came after a loooooong wait and it wasn’t even hot enough for me. We Indians like our chai to be quite hot so we get the kick from it. Thus ended the saga of the undervalued high value beverage called chai. 

Have you ever had such an experience? It would be good to hear from you if you have faced such an experience. 

Sikiladi