tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post7964266335329003379..comments2023-05-24T23:33:57.516+10:00Comments on My Unwelcome Stranger: Little delights of hospital lifeDenis Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786035137418348609noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-73113019799453259002013-07-24T07:34:33.472+10:002013-07-24T07:34:33.472+10:00Now that's very interesting, because I don'...Now that's very interesting, because I don't want high protein now, and the other things square exactly with the description you've given. I feel better now about the desserts, which are packed with carbs, as my normally sylph-like figure is starting to show.<br /><br />Maybe I should go for the wine after all.Denis Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786035137418348609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-18734107879420703562013-07-24T07:26:33.633+10:002013-07-24T07:26:33.633+10:00You're full of good ideas, Jenny! I suspect th...You're full of good ideas, Jenny! I suspect they'd be scratching their heads over Chinese halal, but maybe if they made it vegetarian that would cover it, as I don't think the cabbage has to be slaughtered in the traditional Muslim way.<br /><br />I'll bear these in mind....Denis Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786035137418348609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-10992517271140416912013-07-23T11:19:20.192+10:002013-07-23T11:19:20.192+10:00I once asked a dietitian why hospital food is so n...I once asked a dietitian why hospital food is so notoriously bad and starchy. She said it was deliberately like this because people are immobilised and so is their digestion. So food is overcooked, protein is minimal, carbohydrates are maximal, making the food easy to chew, digest, and exit from the body. I still think they could do better though.<br /><br />When Carl was in for his stent, the poor bastard across from him got a single dish of jelly for dinner one night. That wasn't what he ordered.<br /><br />Carl got a glass of wine with dinner, so Denis, indulge whenever you get the opportunity.Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04715081266571704126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-41691679676298559982013-07-22T08:54:33.164+10:002013-07-22T08:54:33.164+10:00Yes, despite the funning, if I had to choose betwe...Yes, despite the funning, if I had to choose between a hospital with a Michelin star, and a hospital that channeled all its funding into medical services, I know which I'd choose. It's great to hear they're looking after you so well.<br /><br />Anyway, I'm sure if someone gets mad enough to spit in the food, it could only be an improvement .. ;) The Hemulenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10209883627699004595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-26328951976182122342013-07-22T08:34:20.980+10:002013-07-22T08:34:20.980+10:00I'm going to copy/print "Little Delights ...I'm going to copy/print "Little Delights of Hospital Life" and send/give to every nurse I know. They'll love it! xxRoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13339472107640597921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-72584252282362405742013-07-21T22:49:10.816+10:002013-07-21T22:49:10.816+10:00Mars Bars and gin - my kind of dinner! The trick t...Mars Bars and gin - my kind of dinner! The trick to getting better food on planes and in hospital is to request a special diet. It probably doesn't matter what: vegetarian, kosher, halal, diabetic ... anything will do. That way your meals are prepared either individually or in small batches.If you were really lucky they might have to be ordered in from a restaurant! So perhaps your short-term memory loss has made you forget that your religious beliefs require Tibetan vegetarian food? Diabetic macrobiotic? Chinese halal? The only problem would be missing out on bacon for breakfast but in a single room you might not smell the aroma from the breakfast trolley so you wouldn't know what your were missing. I'd be sending out an SOS, I think. Oh, you have ;-) Jenny DAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-84872146389438309632013-07-21T22:32:27.695+10:002013-07-21T22:32:27.695+10:00Wonderful comments, and thank you all. I will try ...Wonderful comments, and thank you all. I will try to come back to each, but we'll see.<br /><br /><i><b>One thing I want to emphasise. In spite of having a little fun with the food, the last thing I want to do is give an impression that the hospital is at fault. They have to feed a vast variety of people many of whom would regard the way I like food cooked as wrong. Many served by a rural hospital, particularly the older patients, expect vegetables to be what I call sadly overcooked.<br /><br />The staff here and facilities are wonderful, especially in view of severe budget restrictions. Within two days, I've learned the ropes and fitted in, or we've adjusted to each other. I'd hate any of them reading this to take my fun personally when they look after me so well and I'm so comfortable! </b></i>Denis Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786035137418348609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-11643652283892814582013-07-21T20:19:15.978+10:002013-07-21T20:19:15.978+10:00I will send you lime jelly - but there won't b...I will send you lime jelly - but there won't be tapioca by then, I supposezmkchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08972549292961948240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-22871679735419588482013-07-21T16:35:37.251+10:002013-07-21T16:35:37.251+10:00Only you, Denis, could make such dire circumstance...Only you, Denis, could make such dire circumstances humorous and I'm still chuckling as I write. Maybe it's a pity your short term memory isn't even shorter, then at least you wouldn't remember the awful meals! What IS it about hospitals that they cannot produce decent food for those most in need of it? Is it so one is not tempted to linger longer and thus take up a bed? Is it because they think patients have so much else to worry about they won't notice the dreadful food? Apart from having a baby (a very long time ago but I remember the food in that small and private hospital as being excellent) I've only been in hospital once - a private hospital at that - and when I tasted the first meal I immediately rang a friend who lived nearby and told her to bring me in something edible. Alas, it was late in the evening and all she brought me was a bottle of gin and a couple of Mars Bars. Next day, she bought me in a takeaway Indian meal which annoyed the hospital staff because it made the room smell. Rather an improvement, I thought, on the usual hospital stinks! Amazingly, the hospital food got a bit better after that - don't whether they'd got the message or what! I'm sorry you have to put up with rotten meals on top of all the other horridnesses, it really is too much. Julie Lakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10268676551467882065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-10624428962811521672013-07-21T13:21:55.994+10:002013-07-21T13:21:55.994+10:00It's great to see that hospital dinners around...It's great to see that hospital dinners around the world are uniformly mysterious, and (on further inspection) unpalatable. I remember coming across a fried egg - well, I say fried, but that's just guess-work based on a process of elimination - anyway, this perfectly circular cylindrical slice would have ricocheted up to the ceiling and pinged all about the room if I'd had the common sense to just drop it off my plate. The toast on the other hand was melt-in-the-mouth. I think actually it had melted on the plate, and just fell into moist pieces before I could get it into my mouth. Thank goodness for small mercies, I say.<br /><br />Denis - I've been reading your blog since a friend posted it on Facebook, and I've been hooked on all your stories. I really liked the "It's so unfair" one, as I know just how easy it is to lose perspective in our lives. There are so many things that we have, and that go right, and yet that all seems to get lost in the wash some days. So thanks for sharing all your thoughts. I look forward to your continuing posts, and maybe the hospital could arrange for you to have an outside line so that you could ring for pizza? The Hemulenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10209883627699004595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-69618026200470550602013-07-21T12:38:45.973+10:002013-07-21T12:38:45.973+10:00I recognise all of this - a delight to see it desc...I recognise all of this - a delight to see it described so humorously by you. Those wrist straps! Perhaps the best thing about them is taking to the strap with a pair of scissors after my stay.<br /><br />Food though is done well in Castlemaine. Lamb shanks is the standout example. My offer to share a room there with you still stands!David Strattonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07108095795511002148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-45887362431007739562013-07-21T08:26:25.721+10:002013-07-21T08:26:25.721+10:00Your post really made me laugh, thank you Denis. I...Your post really made me laugh, thank you Denis. I still remember the unique smell and texture of the hospital meals I've encountered. <br /><br />My mother used to sneak food in for me during long stays in the Royal Alexander Hospital for Children. Sliced ham (easy to wrap small and hide in her handbag, and fed to me in tiny mouthfuls) has never tasted as good since. She also sneaked in biscuits but after a while I had to ask her not to bring them. The Westons Biscuit Factory was close to the hospital's old Camperdown location and baking smells wafted through the hospital. Lovely for a while, but not after months!<br /><br />As always, looking forward to part 2 :)<br /><br />Jeni at Northern Rivers Dreaminghttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Northern-Rivers-Dreaming/321272667962109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-14829087059350559152013-07-21T00:23:14.385+10:002013-07-21T00:23:14.385+10:00ROFL I love that you still have a sense of humour....ROFL I love that you still have a sense of humour. Being a nurse, I know exactly what you're up against. You have my sympathies. Also: say hi to Ratchet for me :)Judehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15835007888988507288noreply@blogger.com