I thought I was alone in my quirk of ordering tomato juice at least once per flight. When I mentioned it to my daughter, she got a funny look and said my son-in-law does the same thing. That piqued my curiosity. There had to be an explanation. Why else would someone order tomato juice in the sky but not on the ground? Howbeit, when I travel on the ground for long distances, I sometimes will get a small can or glass of tomato juice at least once. If I buy juice at home, I never drink it all because it just doesn’t taste the same.
After asking Google about this strange compelling urge, I discovered a few things. It turns out that science is involved. Scientists say that the altitude and the high noise level both have an effect on our taste buds. At 30,000 feet, the juice appears more acidic and has a mineralic taste. It’s refreshing.
So what will you order when the flight attendant rolls the drink cart down the aisle scraping your elbow? I’ll have tomato juice please with two ice cubes – just enough to cool it.