Not long ago, I found myself preparing for the longest commercial flight on Earth: the nonstop haul from Singapore Changi to New York’s JFK. I would spend 19 hours seated in an aluminum tube, chasing the sun across hemispheres. And while that might not be everyone’s dream, it was firmly on my bucket list—not least because I’d be flying Singapore Airlines, consistently voted by our readers as the world’s best. Plus, I was going to fly business class, which is no small luxury in itself. Still, how does one spend the better parts of a whole day on a plane? Two days before my flight, an email arrived reminding me to book my onboard meals. “Book the Cook” is the headline act here—a chance to pre-order “white-tablecloth” classics like lobster thermidor or juicy herb-crusted lamb chops. Despite the reminder, I missed the deadline, but I told myself it was better this way; it would give me a clean excuse to size up the standard in-flight menu instead.…