Kissmequick said:

Until Northwest Airlines (my first-choice airline) announced this change, Elite members of their frequent-flyer program (WorldPerks) could book exit row seats in advance. I would always book one as a "consolation prize" in case I didn't get an upgrade to first class. They actually have more legroom than first class seats.

However, at some point before the flight, I'd usually get upgraded to first class, and if it happened at the airport, that seat would then become available to anyone who wanted it, provided that he/she met the requirements for sitting in an exit row. (Sometimes you get upgraded at least a day before the flight, sometimes it happens at check-in, sometimes it happens shortly before boarding, and I've even had them call my name over the airplane's intercom shortly before closing the door to move me up.)

Anyway, those of us with Elite status will now have to pay $15 like everyone else to confirm an exit row seat at check-in if we haven't secured a first-class upgrade at that point. So what happens if an Elite pays the $15 and later gets upgraded? Answer: no refund. Bad way to treat your best customers.

I'm still pretty loyal to Northwest (and the occasional flight on Delta reinforces this), but I've been unhappy about various changes they've implemented since I joined WorldPerks and started flying almost exclusively on NW. No more pillows (even in first class), fewer upgrades in advance and more at the airport, no more free food in coach....

[Edited 3/14/06 23:47pm]

matt said:

I usually fly Northwest too and have been a happy customer. I'm certainly not about to jump ship to United.

No one's going to back me up that United rocks most of the time?

Oh well, more space for me then. And more exit row seating as well.

any airline that (a) offers vegetarian meal options with a minimum of hassle, and (b) lets me sit near the exit, is an airline i like.

usually when i fly i use southwest, but that's only because it's a cheap/quick trip from chicago to indianapolis so it's a glorified subway train ride as far as i'm concerned. when i go anywhere else, i just take whatever's cheapest and most direct.

Anx said:

I've noticed the last few times I've flown Northwest internationally, even if you don't ask for a veggie meal, they have a veggie option available. That's been really nice for me.

CarrieMpls said:

I didn't know you were veggie.

GangstaFam said:

I'm not officially. But I'm darn close these days.

minneapolisgenius said:

I might agree with you after this weekend, i am flying united to vegas friday and back sunday from Minneapolis!!!

CarrieMpls said:

Me too. It's a hard transition for me to make, especially with my metabolism and health the way it is. But I'm trying.

GangstaFam said:

even if you just eat more vegetarian meals and maintain an "omnivore" diet, you're off to a good start. i think it's all about getting comfortable with making vegetarian meals and knowing what will fill you up and give you the most/best energy. (hint: you can never go wrong with greens)

Anx said:

I was nearly there in the late 90's. I'd stopped eating all meat other than fish. But when I got really sick and my weight dropped down to 137 pounds, I knew I had to do something about it. My metabolism has really evened out since then, and I think it'd be safe for me to get a little bit stricter with myself.

GangstaFam said:

well, i'm always amazed at what people think they have to give up when they consider cutting meat out of their diets. you can still eat hearty food. you can still cook heavy meals. hell, you can still FRY things. and just about everything has lots of protein in it - meat certainly does NOT hold a monopoly there. but i do think it's a process of weaning yourself off meat instead of going cold tofurkey - that's what i did, but i think my metabolism favors being a vegetarian for whatever reason.

Anx said:

I think the vast majority of folks that think they have to eat meat for nutritious reasons just haven't done the research needed. I understand it's probably the quickest and easiest thing to do if you find yourself like Nathan did, and I understand that. But you can get all the nutrients needed in other, and might I add delicious, ways.
Like you said, it's just a matter of weening off. Darin did it to me so slowly I didn't even realize I was practically a veggie until it was too late.

CarrieMpls said:

I have this friend who's a FABULOUS vegetarian cook. She makes boatloads of money teaching classes on the subject and has even been on the Martha Swewart show. I've had dinner with her recently, and she makes some of the best side dishes I've ever had. She's gonna hip me to some of her secret recipes, and I can't wait!

I think I'm lucky in a way too. In our household, I never grew up with meat having to be the center of every meal. Many times, we wouldn't have any at all. So I've never thought of it as central to my diet. It's easy to go several days and realize I haven't had any.

GangstaFam said:

Listen to your body, though. It's not worth making yourself sick.

On the airline front, it has become basically impossible for me to get vegan meals on airplanes. And you know what? Who cares! It's not that hard to carry a bag of trailmix onboard for a long flight, and for a short flight, well, I'm not one of those people who needs to eat every couple of hours.

I love how my thread meandered off into vegetarian advice! It's a much more positive spin!

Non-sequitir time:

I got a message on my phone from United after teaching my class on Monday night. They said that the flight I would have taken had I chose to stay in Chicago was itself delayed. I might still be in Chicago if I hadn't driven! Not only that, but how do they expect me to get that message at HOME if they haven't flown me home yet?

Moonbeam said:

oh goodness!

minneapolisgenius said:

My cousin is in a traveling dance troupe (I think he does like a 100 countries a year or something crazy like that) and he pretty much says the same things and has the same attitude as you.

lovemachine said:

Yeah, the perks really do make a difference if you fly a lot. Although I'm not flying to 100 different countries a year. Yet.

Moonbeam said:

I love you to boo I am great how are you besides well the united experience?

I flew from Chicago to Tampa without A/C once, that's the worst I have. It sucked.

jerseykrs said:

You Suck a duck.

SeattleInvasion said:

I tried very hard to make it work... did my research, kept track of everything I was eating, how many calories, how much protein, etc. Even though I was stuffing myself to the point of sickness with calorie-dense foods, my weight kept dropping and eventually hit levels that were probably dangerous. And I felt miserable.

Every physician I've asked -- even vegetarian-friendly doctors -- has said that, in his or her experience, vegetarian diets just don't "work" for some people. Even vegan advocate Michael Klaper, MD, has written:

Occasionally, vegan people are encountered who do not look well - underweight, sallow complexion, low energy levels, etc. - despite an apparently healthy diet and lifestyle. What are we observing? A deficiency of dietary nutrients? Dysfunction of digestive secretions? Malabsorption problems? Defective liver detoxification mechanisms? Abnormalities of intestinal mucous viscosity? Other unknown factors? These "failure to thrive" vegan people represent an important subgroup and deserve careful study.

People who "used to be vegan," but who report they "feel better when they add some animal protein back into their diet," are also an important subgroup (perhaps the same group as in "6." above?). Are these "unsuccessful vegans" a distinct metabolic category of humans - Homo sapiens who are obligate metabolic carnivores? If so, by which biochemical and physiologic characteristics do they differ from the person who thrives on a purely vegan diet? What is the animal-based nutrient that improves their feelings of well being? (If one accepts the "sympathetic/parasympathetic" model of body types, what does it mean biochemically to be a "sympathetic-dominant omnivore" or a "parasympathetic-dominant vegan" re: metabolic markers, nutritional needs, dietary patterns, etc.?)

Source: http://www.vegsource.com/..._study.htm

Beyond Vegetarianism is also a good read for vegetarians with an open mind.



You're not missing much. Before Northwest Airlines stopped offering special meals on domestic flights, I'd usually request one. (I think it was a vegetarian/vegan/kosher meal.) The first time I ordered it, a flight attendant came to my seat, placed a cup of hot water on my tray table, said something that I didn't understand, and quickly walked away. (Well, hey, I guess water meets the requirements.) She soon returned with the rest of my meal: a breakfast with plain instant oatmeal as the main dish. Nobody told me that this was also the "flavor-free" special meal. I probably would have brought my own brown sugar, but I was afraid security would mistake it for anthrax or something.

matt said:

Yeah, I remember your oatmeal. I also remember my lemon-Pledge-flavored quinoa.


And yeah, you did try hard to do the veg thing. Too hard, certainly.

whenever i get the time and the ability to focus on a new project, i really want to start a vegetarian cooking blog for people who don't necessarily want to become vegetarians, but wanna cut down on their meat intake without giving up good food. i think there's such a polarization in society - either you feast on the finest foods at bloody bob's steakhouse or you suffer with the anemic geeks at the raw food gloomshack, where seasonings are illegal and flavor is frowned upon.

i've gotten to a point where i understand what works for me doesn't work for everyone, but i've also come to understand with experience that when i've been able to influence the lives of those closest to me by cooking for them or taking them out for a good meat-free dinner, they may not cut out meat altogether but when they cut down, the response has been pretty unanimous that they feel much healthier for it. and if you can cut it out completely and go veggie, then great. and if you can't, you can't. but i'd love to do for a larger audience what i've been able to do for friends - which is simply to show that vegetarian food is an OPTION, not necessarily a COMMITMENT (it is for me, but that's MY choice) - and that you can make veggie dishes that are so good and so filling, you don't miss the meat.

Anx said:

Do it!

Anx said:

Totally.

"anemic geeks at the raw food gloomshack"


edit
[Edited 3/15/06 15:55pm]

CarrieMpls said:

Update: They've gotten hit with so many emails from angry Elites that they set up a special email address just for feedback on this: choiceseatscomments@nwa.com

matt said:

yuppie

TMBGITW said:

i think yuppies are HOT. i want to help gentrify a low-cost artist community. i think it would be fun!