8 takeaways from flying Turkish Airlines for the first time from the uncomfortable seats to the terrible breakfast

I never thought to check for the weight or size requirements of my carry-on bags (yes, I am to blame). After all, I've never had an issue with it. But this time, my heavy camera equipment and week's worth of clothes inside my carry-on luggage squeaked past the 17.6-pound requirement I was alerted to at the check-in counter.

Reshuffling my carry-on purse to accommodate everything I needed for my one-night layover was a less than delightful experience.

During my trip from New York to Istanbul, "gate lice" swarmed the premises before any boarding announcements were made. While the airline can't be blamed for all of this, more stern calls for order could have alleviated the anxiety-inducing sight. This crowd only settled after boarding began, shown above.

I didn't expect much for my $637 economy ticket. During my 10-hour flight to Istanbul, my seat came lined with the typical blanket, pillow, and headphones. But to my delight, we all received toiletries bags with items like socks, eye masks, a toothbrush, and toothpaste during a later service.

For an airline that's supposed to be one of the best in the world, my seat on the Airbus A330-300 was one of the most uncomfortable I've had on a flight. My tiny seat was hard, I barely had legroom, and the tray table was so low it hung right above my knees. I couldn't use my seat's footrest when the tray tables were down.

The seat on my second flight was just as uncomfortable but at least I had more space between the tray table and my legs.

Unfortunately, the shrimp in the "salad" finished on notes of plastic while the fried eggplant with cheese was so oily it could've powered a cross-country drive.

Despite the oil, the eggplant was my favorite bite (at least it tasted good). The carrot cake deserves an honorable mention but it was dense and the frosting was too thick for my liking.

Nothing like a creamy eggy mush, a flavorless tomato, and seemingly unseasoned slabs of mushroom and potatoes to start off your day. The side serving of cheese was fine although the tasteless feta had the mouthfeel of a block of rubber. During the first leg of the trip, I was able to eat most of my food. But by the second flight, I couldn't take more than five bites of the egg slop.

I'm not a picky eater but I was so noticeably turned off from the meal, the person sitting across the aisle from me later asked me about it.

I don't expect much from airplane bathrooms but at least the one on my first flight was spotless. To my joy, it had features like an automatic sink, a pedal for the trash can, and Molton Brown-branded soap, lotion, and reed diffusers.

The flight attendants were straightforward and never cracked a smile. Fine by me, I live in New York City after all. However, my gripe is with the other passengers. Among other complaints, some people played their phone audio aloud during the flight. I was surprised flight attendants didn't jump to stop them (at least to my knowledge).