--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is a challenge to believe that there…" description: "\"“It is a challenge to believe that there was ever a time that airline food was exciting, when stewardesses were happy to see you, when flying was such ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/bill-bryson-340_airline-food_it-is-a-challenge-to-believe-that-there_1637606.png" --- # It is a challenge to believe that there was ever a time… ![“It is a challenge to believe that there was ever a time that airline food was exciting, when stewardesses were happy to see you, when flying was such an occasion that you wore your finest clothes.” quote by Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/bill-bryson-340_airline-food_it-is-a-challenge-to-believe-that-there_1637606.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/bill-bryson-340_airline-food_it-is-a-challenge-to-believe-that-there_1637606.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/bill-bryson-340_airline-food_it-is-a-challenge-to-believe-that-there_1637606.png) > ““It is a challenge to believe that there was ever a time that airline food was exciting, when stewardesses were happy to see you, when flying was such an occasion that you wore your finest clothes.”” [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Air travel once felt special, but modern routine has stripped its excitement and charm. **In simple terms:** Air travel lost its magic. Key Takeaway Cherish rare experiences. Themes nostalgia modernity travel culture Mood nostalgic contemplative Type cultural reflective When to use this quote - airline marketing - personal travel memories - hospitality industry Key Concepts Consumerism experience erosion Questions to Reflect On - What small rituals can revive travel joy? - Do modern comforts outweigh lost romance? A Different Perspective Nostalgia may idealize past, ignoring past issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Airline food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/airline-food/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Plane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plane/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I can't stop watching 'Pan Am.' When I was growing up, my father worked as an engineer in Turkey, and we always flew Pan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-king/i-can-t-stop-watching-pan-am-when-i-was-growing-up-my-father-worked/) [Gayle King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-king/) > [Maybe careers aren’t something you can really plan for. They just sort of happen, like brown eyes or flat feet. I took one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-juby/maybe-careers-aren-t-something-you-can-really-plan-for-they-just-sort/) [Susan Juby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-juby/) > [My grandmother was, back when they called them 'stewardesses,' a flight attendant. I actually had a ball wearing that little uniform and making sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-christensen/my-grandmother-was-back-when-they-called-them-stewardesses-a-flight/) [Erika Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erika-christensen/) > [The air is annoyingly potted with a multitude of minor vertical disturbances which sicken the passengers and keep us captives of our seat belts.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-k-gann/the-air-is-annoyingly-potted-with-a-multitude-of-minor-vertical/) [Ernest K. Gann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-k-gann/) > [“When I started researching airline stewardesses, I found that the topic made for amusing cocktail party banter. “You’re writing a book about that? Wow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-vantoch/when-i-started-researching-airline-stewardesses-i-found-that-the/) [Victoria Vantoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-vantoch/) > [Stewardesses were a joke to many of us coming of age in the liberated Sixties. They were no joke in the women's movement that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-schine/stewardesses-were-a-joke-to-many-of-us-coming-of-age-in-the-liberated/) [Cathleen Schine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-schine/) > [I loved the idea of doing something that has this misconception about what stewardesses were. And, I also love the idea that these girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-ricci/i-loved-the-idea-of-doing-something-that-has-this-misconception-about/) [Christina Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-ricci/) > [Stewardesses are still paid so little that in many cases, new hires qualify for food stamps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-ireland/stewardesses-are-still-paid-so-little-that-in-many-cases-new-hires/) [Patricia Ireland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-ireland/) > [In Japan, you get on the bullet train or the airplane, and I loved the little speeches the stewardesses would do. They even do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beck/in-japan-you-get-on-the-bullet-train-or-the-airplane-and-i-loved-the/) [Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beck/) > [You don't have to be Willy Loman about it. But, "Airline food is crazy. Hey, what's with these rent-a-cars?" or you go up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/you-don-t-have-to-be-willy-loman-about-it-but-airline-food-is-crazy/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [ \[Airline food\] is the tiniest food I've ever seen in my entire life. Any kind of meat that you get - chicken, steak, anything… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/airline-food-is-the-tiniest-food-i-ve-ever-seen-in-my-entire-life-any/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [England manufactures most of the world's airline food, as well as all the food you ever ate in your junior-high-school cafeteria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/england-manufactures-most-of-the-world-s-airline-food-as-well-as-all/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [I'm not opposed to talking about airline food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tig-notaro/i-m-not-opposed-to-talking-about-airline-food/) [Tig Notaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tig-notaro/) > [Airline food is not intended for human consumption. It's intended as a form of in-flight entertainment, wherein the object is to guess what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/airline-food-is-not-intended-for-human-consumption-it-s-intended-as-a/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [If the Wright brother were alive today Wilbur would have to fire Orville to reduce costs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/if-the-wright-brother-were-alive-today-wilbur-would-have-to-fire/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) ## More by Bill Bryson > [Most big companies don't like you very much, except hotels, airlines and Microsoft, which don't like you at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/most-big-companies-don-t-like-you-very-much-except-hotels-airlines/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“But Welsh spellings are as nothing compared with Irish Gaelic, a language in which spelling and pronunciation give the impression of having been devised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/but-welsh-spellings-are-as-nothing-compared-with-irish-gaelic-a/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“Pantaloons were often worn tight as paint and were not a great deal less revealing, particularly as they were worn without underwear. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/pantaloons-were-often-worn-tight-as-paint-and-were-not-a-great-deal/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [If you go out on the Appalachian Trail, you have to bring so much more equipment - a tent, sleeping bag - but if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/if-you-go-out-on-the-appalachian-trail-you-have-to-bring-so-much-more/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“The dining table was a plain board called by that name. It was hung on the wall when not in use, and was perched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/the-dining-table-was-a-plain-board-called-by-that-name-it-was-hung-on/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“From almost nothing, France in four years built up an aircraft industry that employed nearly 200,000 people and produced some 70,000 planes. Britain built…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/from-almost-nothing-france-in-four-years-built-up-an-aircraft/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“Every twenty minutes on the Appalachian Trail, Katz and I walked farther than the average American walks in a week. For 93 percent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/every-twenty-minutes-on-the-appalachian-trail-katz-and-i-walked/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“A diarist named George Templeton Strong recorded in the winter of 1866 that even with two furnaces alight and all the fireplaces blazing, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/a-diarist-named-george-templeton-strong-recorded-in-the-winter-of/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [Tune your television to any channel it doesn't receive and about 1 percent of the dancing static you see is accounted for by this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/tune-your-television-to-any-channel-it-doesn-t-receive-and-about-1/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [As a rule of thumb, I would submit that if you need to call your floss provider, for any reason, you are probably not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/as-a-rule-of-thumb-i-would-submit-that-if-you-need-to-call-your-floss/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [Nobody gets excited about the future at all, ever. The future is something we find depressing and worrisome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/nobody-gets-excited-about-the-future-at-all-ever-the-future-is/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“What made this particularly interesting is that John Howard is by far the dullest man in Australia. Imagine a very committed funeral home director…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/what-made-this-particularly-interesting-is-that-john-howard-is-by-far/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [I would make a genuinely terrible guide. I can't remember things. I would get half way through telling a story or explaining something and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/i-would-make-a-genuinely-terrible-guide-i-can-t-remember-things-i/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“In the mystifying world that was Victorian parenthood, obedience took precedence over all considerations of affection and happiness, and that odd, painful conviction remained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/in-the-mystifying-world-that-was-victorian-parenthood-obedience-took/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [If this book has a lesson, it is that we are awfully lucky to be here-and by 'we' I mean every living thing. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/if-this-book-has-a-lesson-it-is-that-we-are-awfully-lucky-to-be-here/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) [Explore all 656 Bill Bryson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) ## More Airline food quotes > [If the Wright brother were alive today Wilbur would have to fire Orville to reduce costs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/if-the-wright-brother-were-alive-today-wilbur-would-have-to-fire/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) > [Airline food is not intended for human consumption. It's intended as a form of in-flight entertainment, wherein the object is to guess what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/airline-food-is-not-intended-for-human-consumption-it-s-intended-as-a/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [I'm not opposed to talking about airline food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tig-notaro/i-m-not-opposed-to-talking-about-airline-food/) [Tig Notaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tig-notaro/) > [England manufactures most of the world's airline food, as well as all the food you ever ate in your junior-high-school cafeteria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/england-manufactures-most-of-the-world-s-airline-food-as-well-as-all/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [ \[Airline food\] is the tiniest food I've ever seen in my entire life. Any kind of meat that you get - chicken, steak, anything… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/airline-food-is-the-tiniest-food-i-ve-ever-seen-in-my-entire-life-any/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [You don't have to be Willy Loman about it. But, "Airline food is crazy. Hey, what's with these rent-a-cars?" or you go up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/you-don-t-have-to-be-willy-loman-about-it-but-airline-food-is-crazy/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [Speaking of food, English cuisine has received a lot of unfair criticism over the years, but the truth is that it can be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/speaking-of-food-english-cuisine-has-received-a-lot-of-unfair/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [If you don't like airline food, you'll probably have the same impression of space station food. I would not fly to space for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/if-you-don-t-like-airline-food-you-ll-probably-have-the-same/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [Airline food is cooked in an oven and then kept warm. Space station food is often cooked in an oven and then thermo-stabilised, irradiated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/airline-food-is-cooked-in-an-oven-and-then-kept-warm-space-station/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [I dont enjoy traveling in America. I dont like the food, the cars. It is not exotic enough. It all tastes a bit like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-bley/i-dont-enjoy-traveling-in-america-i-dont-like-the-food-the-cars-it-is/) [Carla Bley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-bley/) [Browse all 11 Airline food quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/airline-food/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is a challenge to believe that there was ever a time that airline food was exciting, when stewardesses were happy to see you, when flying was such an occasion that you wore your finest clothes.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bill Bryson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/it-is-a-challenge-to-believe-that-there-was-ever-a-time-that-airline/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Airline food" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/it-is-a-challenge-to-believe-that-there-was-ever-a-time-that-airline/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/bill-bryson-340_airline-food_it-is-a-challenge-to-believe-that-there_1637606.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/bill-bryson-340_airline-food_it-is-a-challenge-to-believe-that-there_1637606.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/bill-bryson-340_airline-food_it-is-a-challenge-to-believe-that-there_1637606.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is a challenge to believe that there was ever a time that airline food was exciting, when stewardesses…” — Bill Bryson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bill Bryson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It is a challenge to believe...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/it-is-a-challenge-to-believe-that-there-was-ever-a-time-that-airline/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/it-is-a-challenge-to-believe-that-there-was-ever-a-time-that-airline/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```