Hospital Food: Then and Now

The last time I was in hospital for long enough they had to feed me was... A LONG LONG TIME AGO... in a city so very very near. Decades. Now back then the notion of "hospital food" was paramount to "oh God, no! surely it wasn't that bad" kind of thing.

I remember the insulated tray would come and be plopped off and underneath the cover lay the blandest, greyest, most wilted thing they called a meal. Ok, well, maybe I exaggerate, yeah, I exaggerate. Sorry, won't happen again. That being said it was the best they could do with the technology and training of their day (... errr my day.... oh dear). Feeding a building that would have at any time 1000-2000 people could not have easy.

However! I am here today to let you know that “hospital food” has drastically changed and for the better!

First of all, it is no longer called the “cafeteria,” or “Food Services” (capitalized for emphasis). Now, it is called “Room Service.” I’m gonna let that sit there for a sec... Yes, “Room Service” and that is EXACTLY how they feed this great beast of a hospital. Every bed has beside it a MENU, an actual MENU with the choices you can make for each of the three meals a day they provide. The choices are not restrictive; no, indeed they are open to personalization.

As an example I ordered an omelet with peppers, onions, cheese, and tomato. What arrived as exactly that. A lovely looking and good tasting omelet that was obviously made fresh and recently. It was hot (still steaming) and apart from needing a little salt was extremely tasty.  

But now back to how all this happens. On the menu is a phone number and you call that number and place your order for each meal. Just like being in a hotel, no really it's just like that. I call the number and a pleasant voice says, "Room Service, how can I help you?" I then give them my name and date of birth and they say, "What would you like today?" I then order each meal for the day and they send it up promptly. The lovely lady on the other end of the phone has all my dietary restrictions, allergies, and needs in front of her and will tell me if I can have what I've ordered. For instance, I wanted to order the hamburger for lunch and when I said I wanted it on a bun she said, "I'm sorry because of your allergy to sesame seeds I cannot give you the bun but I do have a gluten free option, would you like that instead." To which I said, "Yes, please."

Each meal that I have had so far has been far beyond my expectations in so many ways. It has all been freshly made, and "homemade" if you know what I mean. I don't normally post pictures of the food I'm served but I think it is necessary for this blog entry; here's a picture of my supper from Saturday.

The shepherd's pie was excellent, full of hamburger, actual mashed potatoes (ie. not something out of a box), and the carrots were neither mushy nor sweaty. It was a very satisfying meal. With it I ordered "homemade butterscotch pudding." And it was fan-fracking-tastic!

I'll post photos of each meal going forward for your edification.

So, all in all, if one has to stay in the hospital here at the Halifax Infirmary then at least the food is not the horror show that it once once. I can now say the words "hospital food" and not shudder, wince, or cower in fear.

Thanks for reading my review.