Airline serves ‘dog food’ to business class passengers in translation blunder

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The food served on planes doesn’t have the best reputation at the best of times, but even the most iron-stomached among passengers might think twice before ordering a mistranslated menu option on a recent flight.

A photo taken by a passenger on a China Eastern Airlines plane shows the menu for those flying in business class, which includes beef, seafood and soup dishes.

But one unfortunate English translation has got people talking. Among the choices for a starter is “imported dog food with okra”.

Conrad Wu shared the image on Facebook, asking: “What exactly is it?”

Almost 1,000 people have reacted to the Facebook post, with hundreds of comments and shares.

Edward Poon asked if it meant the airline was pet-friendly, while another said it was because “they treat you as a dog, not human”.

“The consequences of Google translate,” warned Coleman So, while Dai Ching joked: “Must be a hot dog?”

The image was also shared on Reddit, with one user picking up on the fact it was specificially “imported” dog food: “Apparently, economy class passengers only get domestic dog food,” they joked.

It’s not clear what dish the translated menu on board the China Eastern flight is referring to. The Independent has contacted the operator for clarification.

Earlier this year, an airline advised its customers to opt out of having an inflight meal, saying it is the “ethical choice”.

Japan Airlines had been trialling the “JAL Ethical Choice MealSkip Option”, which enabled passengers to pass on a meal service on certain flights, since 2020. The carrier has now made it a permanent option on flight bookings worldwide, emphasising the sustainability benefits of avoiding a mid-flight lunch.

And in a nightmare in-flight meal scenario, a business class passenger on a flight to Japan in February who ordered a vegan breakfast was bemused when they were presented with a single banana and a pair of chopsticks.

“When she served the banana after take-off, I thought it was just an underwhelming appetiser, but it was in fact the entire meal service,” they wrote online.