Hospital food

Thanks to those who have offered kind words, prayers, and the like. It looks like my father's almost out of the woods (knock on wood), so I can now fret about other things again.

One thing I should fret about is having to eat food from the hospital cafeteria. Take the one at St. Agnes, for example, where I ate lunch each of the last two days. While the staff is peachy and very helpful, the food is, well, uneven. But that's to be said about the offerings at any hospital cafeteria. I've had similarly uneven eatin' in other hospitals (Thanksgiving at the University of Maryland Medical Center? Bleeeeh.) Still I am grateful, at least, that I have my choice of what I can eat, instead of being confined to "Bombay chicken or vegetarian meatloaf". Hell, once you've been consigned to a week's worth of "strained cream of chicken soup with jello" you tend to appreciate even the veggie meatloaf.

I am also amazed at how much, um, junk is now being sold to visitors and employees in hospitals. Again, take St. Agnes: twenty years ago it was pretty much the cafeteria. Today, they also have a Subway, a Pizza Hut-type place, an espresso kiosk and a Chick-fil-a (that guy that goes around the country stalking Chick-fil-a grand openings probably missed that one). Plus, you can now buy candy in bulk. You have to hand it to the typical hospital cafeteria, though: the prices for their standard cafeteria food are not unreasonable.

Here's what I ate (prices are approximate):

Tuesday:

• vegetarian quiche with broccoli (about $3.00 for a rather large slice): gummy, inedible, spots of cheese embedded in between spots of egg and partially burned stalks of broccoli. Should've gotten the tilapia
• roasted red potatoes (85¢ for a large helping of 15 half red potatoes): very nice flavor and texture. I should've passed on the quiche and gotten a plate of these.
• chocolate cream pie with meringue topping (don't remember the price - $1.25 or so?): the chocolate had a grainy texture and a very strange flavor. Carrot cake anyone?
• Diet Coke ($1.00 or so for 16 oz): it's Diet Coke from a fountain, whaddya expect?

Wednesday:

• low-fat meatloaf ($3.50 for a generous slice): so much better than that quiche. It didn't really taste low-fat to me. The gravy was a little on the salty side, but overall quite edible. I would get it again.
• mashed potatoes with gravy ($1.00 or so for half a plate's worth): standard, went well with the potatoes
• roll (just don't remember): a roll from a bag
• Diet Coke (8 oz for 85¢): see above
• forgettable side salad (about $4.50 per lb): I picked at it
  

And I thought I'd have to hide my credit card number

Not sure if I will be eating there tomorrow. My father looks like he's going home soon - if only he'd eat, goddammit!