The Only Food Martha Stewart Trusts On Airplanes Breaks The Most Basic Rule

Martha Stewart is known for many things, but her relatable taste is not one of them. The celebrity chef's state-of-the-art oven comes with a five-figure price tag, and even her favorite pizza topping is bougie. As such, it's hardly a surprise that Stewart's go-to airplane food isn't exactly down-to-earth. In a 2017 interview, the homemaking maven told The New York Times that she prefers to pack her own high-quality, appetizing provisions to enjoy on long flights — she might bring, for example, a smoked salmon sandwich on seven-grain bread, a tabbouleh salad, homemade yogurt with applesauce, or hard-boiled eggs (made with eggs from her very own chickens, naturally).

There's a lot to unpack here, but let's start with the obvious — fish and hard-boiled eggs are two of the foods that are unacceptable on airplanes, period. The eggs are both smelly and messy to peel, and pretty much any form of seafood is off the table for similarly odorous reasons. 

Beyond that, we're not sure if bringing homemade yogurt on an airplane is impressive or slightly unhinged. It is worth noting that in the same article, Stewart divulged that she never travels without at least three iPads, so perhaps the provocative nature of her go-to airplane food is no coincidence.

In that same interview, Martha Stewart explained that she packs her own food when flying because she doesn't find airplane fare very appealing, and she likes to have something she'll actually want to enjoy on the plane. While this is completely understandable — few of us look forward to in-flight cuisine — it doesn't make packing pungent snacks socially acceptable. In fact, 68% of Americans find eating strong-smelling food on an airplane unacceptable, according to data from YouGov Data Analytics & Market Research Services (incidentally, the same survey reveals that 68% of Americans have never flown first class).

While smoked salmon on seven-grain bread and fresh boiled eggs from backyard chickens sound delightful for a picnic in the park or a not-so-sad desk lunch, Stewart might want to consider sticking to her tabbouleh salad and homemade yogurt while traveling, for the sake of her fellow passengers. She could also try following these simple rules for packing plane snacks like a pro, or even giving in-flight cuisine another shot, because airplane food has only improved in recent years. On the other hand, Stewart has eaten prison food (and she's got opinions on it), so perhaps she should get a free pass to eat whatever she wants on an airplane, no matter how smelly.