I’m going to start this off by saying I’ve had the great fortune to be a remarkably healthy person for 79 years. I don’t have grey hair, I have all my own well used teeth, and after a very recent X-ray session, my doctor expressed amazement that I have “very little wear and tear” on my hips and knees.
What can the reason for this be, when all around me my peers are showing decided “wear and tear” on their joints? Knee and hip replacement are as common as dandelions in a garden and cause just as much need for extra care and annoyance. |
Enforced bed rest for a couple of days. All that entails, the poking, prodding, testing, painful awareness of your own possible short future. Suddenly, without any sort of Zen awareness, you get into a sort of glazed stupor while waiting for your next treatment. The only thing to break the monotony is each meal that is brought to you.
It sounds impressive, meals designed by dieticians. Maybe some are, but certainly not the ones I’ve seen.
Where are those dieticians anyway? You never see them. Are they hidden in some strong, windowless part of the hospital? How on earth do they manage to come up with entirely flavourless meals? Do they have a machine to suck out the salt in any food, just to give it a satisfying degree of tastelessness? It’s hard to understand.
Every meal seems to include a 200 ml (less than a cup) box of juice. This juice label proudly announces that no sugar is added. However, each small 200 ml contains 19 grams of sugar. That’s almost 4 teaspoons. The total carbohydrate count is 21 grams. No fibre at all, and the Vitamin C they advertise is added during manufacture. Why not put an apple or orange on the tray? No need for labels and garbage.
Lunch was not bad. A whole-wheat tuna salad sandwich. The obligatory canned fruit cup. I ate half the sandwich, and a cup of soup.
Dinner is a real challenge. As I remember from far off days it used to come on a plate with a special cover to keep it warm. Now, the new and improved food comes in a take-out box. I won’t go into the specifics of the meal except to say it is unappetizing.
Just in case you think this diet thing only takes place in hospitals here in Canada, I’m adding a pic sent via a friend in the USA. She is diabetic. This is what confronted her for breakfast during her recovery from surgery. Only this....
You might think all is wonderful again, but unfortunately, through the years, I’ve been the only cook in the kitchen. This has led to a situation where Mr. Bob has been dining well but never learned to do his share of the cuisine.
The joy of my return was greatly diminished by the anguish of seeing the irreparable burning of my favourite frying pan.
After dark thoughts of divorce, I decided something had to change. Not easy to teach an 89-year-old new tricks, but it has to happen. Fortunately dear friends have been dropping off wonderful, easy-to-heat home-cooked meals for us, but obviously even reheating takes a certain amount of skill. (Think of the frying pan.)
Presentation is another thing too. Don’t throw a bowl of soup together, and hand me (in your hands) a pathetic little slice of bread folded over with something in it, no plate, and call it a meal!
I’ve decided it’s time for me to be spoilt and treasured appropriately. So from now on, there’ll be some of Bob’s regular kitchen adventures written up here. He’s happy about his classes. I’m thinking if he can learn at least seven meals it will be a nice break.
Here goes!
Mr. Bob cooks curried mince with brown rice
Donated curried cooked mince/ ground beef, already cooked and portioned brown rice from the freezer
Method:
- Use your wife’s best heavy gauge cast iron pan for this. She’ll never know, and you might not ever get this opportunity again.
- Put the ground beef into the pan and heat on extra low. I learned this after burning same pan on high, plus the sausages that were in it. Not forgivable, according to HER.
- At this time put the rice from the freezer bag into a suitable small container and microwave two minutes. It works! Looks good to me. The wonderful curry smell is all around now.
- Cut up some lettuce and put it in a bowl big enough for two people. Add stuff like cut cherry tomatoes, celery, anything that seems good. Put some of your favourite dressing on top and then use a spoon to mix the whole mess together. This step is called “tossing”.
- Now you plate it. Some hot rice, the beef over it, and finally the magic touch of some Mrs. Ball’s chutney.
- Add some salad to look pretty plus give you needed veggies.
Beautiful, isn’t it? SHE said she was proud of me.