Only in Local-America

[ysabetwordsmith]

... would a hospital make a McDonald's its adjunct restaurant.  Think about all the times doctors nag people to eat better and lose weight, and all the people who can't  eat McDonald's due to special dietary needs.  I am just boggled by the loss of opportunity, because this shit is routine in L-American "health care" -- they push people around, but refuse to lift a finger to help.  Hospital food is almost universally slop of exactly the kind they tell people not to eat, and the cafeterias or adjunct restaurants are barely better.  What they should be doing is serving delicious well-balanced meals to show  people how that works, and then doctors should eat that in public, because humans are prone to imitative behavior.  I've read about outliers having an organic restaurant, but in terms of access, that's still a unicorn hunt.  But McDonald's?  Really?  WTF.

Fortunately someone working there does NOT have their head up their ass, and has started a petition to replace it with a restaurant serving healthy food.

Comments

[mashfanficchick]

The good thing is that my local hospital system (Northwell Health, formerly known as Long Island Jewish / North Shore Hospital) has better sense than that overall; they partner with Au Bon Pan, and also stock their "candy" machines with healthy options like tuna kits and protein packs.

(The bad thing is that they occasionally take it too far, by dint of not realizing how individuals' needs might not be what's expected. Case in point: they only have diet soda on campus, for sale or otherwise. So if you're in the ER with a loved one, and can't have diet soda or coffee--as is the case with MANY people I know--you're screwed if you rely on caffeine to stay awake.)

[technoshaman]

*nods* I don't know who runs the bistro at the local cancer centre, but it's *good*... healthy, but with some comfort-food choices when you Just Gotta, a good selection of soda mit and mitout, juices, milk, plain and fizzy water... and it's *inexpensive*!

The medical centre that houses my soon-to-be-ex-PCP (moved out of her area, *and* they got bought by .... not getting into THAT can of worms...) has Specialty's Bakery for an anchor tenant... sandwiches, soup, good selection of drinkables spanning the whole range, and the best gorram COOKIES EVAR...

A balance is definitely necessary. Moderation in ALL things! (Including moderation! ;)

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> *nods* I don't know who runs the bistro at the local cancer centre, but it's *good*... healthy, but with some comfort-food choices when you Just Gotta, a good selection of soda mit and mitout, juices, milk, plain and fizzy water... and it's *inexpensive*! <<

Awesome! Behold the clue, and the having of it.

I've seen some brilliant stuff in T-America. The Freeman Family Hospital in T-Omaha has a cafe that's so good, people stop there just to eat -- which makes it a perfect teaching opportunity. They serve a rotating menu. There are always two items marked Healthy Choice (low-calorie, high nutrition) and Food for Life (different nutrition program that isn't as low-calorie). Usually there's a mix of vegetarian and carnivore cuisine, and things like tacos or stir-fry are often tagged Vegetarian Option Available. Diverse cultures are represented; Indian lentil dishes are especially popular because they are cheap, tasty, and with a side of rice they make a complete protein. They also serve some comfort foods, again from mixed cultures. The main menu is augmented by the bar which can serve salads, tacos, desserts, etc. Plus you can see hospital staff eating in there routinely.

One of the poems I want to write involves Dr. Bloch encouraging Shiv to touch base with someone at Freeman, so he'll have local backup in case of an emergency. Turns out the hospital hands out vouchers for free cafe meals at appointments where they're trying to entice people to come in. *chuckle* Feed a cat, gain a cat.

>> The medical centre that houses my soon-to-be-ex-PCP (moved out of her area, *and* they got bought by .... not getting into THAT can of worms...) has Specialty's Bakery for an anchor tenant... sandwiches, soup, good selection of drinkables spanning the whole range, and the best gorram COOKIES EVAR... <<

That is awesome. :D

>> A balance is definitely necessary. Moderation in ALL things! (Including moderation! ;) <<

Agreed. People need freedom to make their own choices based on needs of the moment. Comfort food sticks to your ribs, a good choice if you're stuck somewhere for hours. But you also need light, easy-to-digest things for people who are anxious and need to eat anyhow. I feel that restaurants at health facilities should be obligated to serve ALL dietary needs, because people often lack the ability to go elsewhere.

Re: Thoughts

[technoshaman]

I feel that restaurants at health facilities should be obligated to serve ALL dietary needs, because people often lack the ability to go elsewhere.

Yes please.

It occurs to me that a diet consisting only of foods native to Northwest Europe is really rather boring... no nightshades, no rice, no tropical fruit, no maize, no pasta, not much in the way of spice... *laughter* get this: Fish'n'chips, the quintessential British dish? Was invented by a *Jewish* guy ... and of course includes potatoes, which were unknown in the Old World before the early 1600s. It dates to 1860, which means in British terms, it's but a stripling!

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> It occurs to me that a diet consisting only of foods native to Northwest Europe is really rather boring... no nightshades, no rice, no tropical fruit, no maize, no pasta, not much in the way of spice... <<

LOL yes.

"Food's better ... we used to boil everything."

>> *laughter* get this: Fish'n'chips, the quintessential British dish? Was invented by a *Jewish* guy ... and of course includes potatoes, which were unknown in the Old World before the early 1600s. It dates to 1860, which means in British terms, it's but a stripling! <<

And at that, most people eat only a few varieties out of the several hundred edible or semi-edible potato types. I'm happy that fingerlings are becoming more popular, and the more colorful potatoes too. <3 blues.

Re: Thoughts

[technoshaman]

I like the purple ones myself. They have an... *interesting*.... flavour.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

Yeah, it has dark, musky, or earthy notes that connect well with robust meats and strong spices. Purple or chocolate tomatoes + juniper berries and black peppercorns + elk, venison, or bison = YUM.

Re: Thoughts

[technoshaman]

Mmmmm, dang, I'm glad dinner's already in the oven, you've got me needing a napkin... ;)

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

One of my recipes for such is posted here:
http://greenhaventradition.weebly.com/samhain-recipes.html

Re: Thoughts

[mashfanficchick]

I feel that restaurants at health facilities should be obligated to serve ALL dietary needs, because people often lack the ability to go elsewhere.

THIS! I have both celiac and an undiagnosed sugar-digestion disorder (basically, too much sugar without enough other stuff to round it out will end with me unable to digest ANY sugar, in any form, for several days). Literally the ONLY thing I can eat at McDonalds is a plain hamburger patty (with cheese, if I wanted it), and a plain garden salad (maybe). Whereas at Au Bon Pan, there are multiple prepackaged salads with gluten-free labels, plenty of single-serve items like hard-boiled eggs and veggies & hummus, AND (because I know where my limits lie) made-to-order sandwiches on gluten-free bread. They also have zillions of vegetarian options, plenty of low-fat ones (including filling soups and sandwiches), many baked goods specifying different dietary needs (GF/low-fat/sugar-free/etc.), and a never-ending supply of all different drinks (including, if the hospital gets its head out of its tuchus, sugar-sweetened ones). Now THAT's a good place to keep ope 24/7!

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> THIS! I have both celiac and an undiagnosed sugar-digestion disorder (basically, too much sugar without enough other stuff to round it out will end with me unable to digest ANY sugar, in any form, for several days). <<

That sucks. My body has lockout reactions to some things too, although thank gods not a common food part like sugar.

Okay, weird random thought here: if you ever see L-sugar (also sometimes called mirror sugar) then you might consider trying it. Earth tends to produce R-sugar. They taste the same, but humans generally can't metabolize it. If you're getting an obscure metabolic failure with R-sugar, that makes me wonder if your digestion may have simply quirked to handle something this planet doesn't normally produce. Because eating things from the wrong planet can be a disaster.

>> Literally the ONLY thing I can eat at McDonalds is a plain hamburger patty (with cheese, if I wanted it), and a plain garden salad (maybe). <<

O_O Blargh.

>> Whereas at Au Bon Pan, there are multiple prepackaged salads with gluten-free labels, plenty of single-serve items like hard-boiled eggs and veggies & hummus, AND (because I know where my limits lie) made-to-order sandwiches on gluten-free bread.<<

That is so awesome. \o/

I had a good laugh over a scene with Stalwart Stan raiding the vending village at Freeman Family Hospital. Hummus. Fresh fruit. Jumble Munch. Snack packs of avocado deviled eggs with ham.

>> They also have zillions of vegetarian options, plenty of low-fat ones (including filling soups and sandwiches), many baked goods specifying different dietary needs (GF/low-fat/sugar-free/etc.), and a never-ending supply of all different drinks (including, if the hospital gets its head out of its tuchus, sugar-sweetened ones). Now THAT's a good place to keep ope 24/7! <<

Agreed. I hope they do well.

Sugar and caffeine are essential ingredients for some people. Me, I can't handle artificial sweeteners, they're unbearably bitter. I'd be stuck with water, which is fine for most purposes, but not always. And caffeine is addictive -- anyone used to it runs into miserable headaches if they can't get any. So not helping!