Menu of the day: 4 bread slices, mixed vegetables, lentils, ridge gourd curry.
There are many food related programs on TV nowadays and of
course we all love the reality food show called ‘MasterChef.’ of Australia and
India. Maybe they could have one episode where the contestants are asked to
cook nutritious food for hospitals.
We have many talented cooks in our country but still the food
served in hospitals is not up to its mark. The vegetables look limp, the dhals
un-appetizing and the rotis dried and
hard. They tell me that the hospital food has to be nutritious but shouldn’t it
be tasty too? One glance at the food and my hunger disappears I would rather
starve than eat such food which is cooked so carelessly. A good nutritious
hospital food could have salad of boiled vegetables, cheese, curd, fresh juice,
brown bread, etc.
I am not sure if any hospital employs chefs. There are
dieticians who do their rounds asking patients for their feedback but I am not
sure that any changes are made to improve the taste.
The hospital where I am spending few days does not allow
home cooked food. My family sometimes smuggles home-cooked food for me. I eat
that food like a thief, hiding the egg sandwich after every bite. But those are
rare times, most of the time I just choke on tasteless food
Hospitals should have chefs who care about the patient’s
needs. Fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables can be purchased directly from
farmers. There should be more local, organic and sustainable food.
The patients in the hospital are in pain and grumpy, a tasty
food would surely pep them up. Isn’t it?
