Ah, how quality recedes over time...

[Alex]

First class food is still mostly like that. Especially international.

I flew Hawaiian Airlines frequently in the early '90s and I can assure you that the food in coach was no better than the food I eat these days in coach (the big difference being that most of the time there is no food being served in coach; this really isn't a big deal to me, I'm rarely ever actually hungry on a plane and just eat because they put food in front of me). And that the food in coach was not nearly so good as the food this site shows for first class on Hawaiian in the mid-90s.

Can't compare to anything before that (I was in the middle of college before I ever flew on an airplane) but beyond increased rarity I don't think I've seen any real change in quality of the last decade plus.