Patient 1: “What are you in for?”
Patient 2: “I ate hospital food”
Hospital food is an easy target for comedians and cartoonists. I’ve yet to meet anyone who didn’t have some complaint about the food they were served while in hospital.
After my previous hospital stay I had many complaints about the food service and shared them (often loudly) with friends and family. I was going to use this blog to share these complaints but, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it might be more insightful to explore why I felt the need to complain.
While in hospital, there are few aspects of what happens each day over which I have much control. Vital signs every four hours. Blood drawn once before breakfast and once after breakfast. Pills to take throughout the day. Transfusions every 2 to 3 days. Various unpleasant side effects such mucositis and constipation.
The loss of control extends to the food service:
- Meals are served at the same time each day (8am, noon, 5pm). There is no flexibility. This lack of flexibility is particularly annoying at breakfast and dinner time. I’m used to having breakfast shortly after I wake up, which is generally before 8am. Similarly, I usually eat dinner closer to 6pm and sometimes later.
- Food choice is limited. Each day there are very limited choices for each meal. For example, at dinner, there are three appetizer, two entree, and two dessert choices. These choices change each day. If I happen to like one of the meal choices, I have to wait until it next appears on the menu. If I don’t like any of the choices, I end up having to choose the selection that I dislike the least.
- Meal selections are made a day in advance. If I wake up feeling different than the day before (more pain, gastric distress, etc), I am stuck with the choices I made. This restriction is particularly noticeable at breakfast. I am used to having a choice of breakfast items (cereal, muffins, bagels, etc) from which to choose based on my mood and how I am feeling when I wake up.
Not only are meals served at the same time every day, but the presentation is reminiscent of a high school cafeteria. The meal arrives on a tray. Drinks (milk, juice, etc) are served in their containers. Coffee or tea is served in a small plastic cup and arrives, at best, warm, and generally lukewarm.
Presentation is an important aspect of making food appealing. I am reminded at every meal that I am confined to a hospital room.
On a positive note, the food arrives consistently hot, a change from the last time I was in hospital. Quantities are reasonable. Tableware is stainless steel, not plastic. The people delivering the food and collecting the trays are pleasant and almost always serve the meal with a smile.
I have purposely not made any specific recommendations for change. There are too many factors about which I am not aware to do so. I simply wanted to offer a perspective of the food service from my side of the meal tray.
Thanks for listening,
Mike
The Cancer Card 