How the Poor Die

[Tom]

wonderful observations, Petra.

I actually find hospital food to be quite nice. I remember my dear Grandad being in hospital (Leicester Royal Infirmary), recuperating after an illness. My Mum and brother were draconian in their approach to making him eat all of his food, even though he was a slightly built, elderly man, when the two of them would disappear somewhere my Grandad would slide the rest of his lunch or dinner over to me and I'd polish it off, he never liked the food (very fussy eater).

Mum and brother always had beaming smiles on their return as their eyes alighted on his empty dinner plate and dessert bowl!

Grandad always have me a wry smile and a cheeky wink.

I thought the food was nice!

[Petra]

Tom, that's a wonderful memory.

Maybe there are hospitals with good food. We had one in the city that was known for it's good food. I heard (but cannot verify) that the kitchens even catered small affairs. That was shut down, though, many years ago when the hospital was made to align itself with the diets/kitchens of the other hospitals.
If true, this is a sad story.

[Bionic Jean]

The last time I was in hospital (for just over 3 weeks) was about 2 years ago. I think the food was good if you had a normal meat-eaters' diet. As a vegetarian, I found that if I had the same 2 meals every day it was fine, although the nurses were a bit puzzled about it!

What was difficult was breakfast, which was so cereal-based! Packet cereals of all types, plus bread rolls or toast, and none of it suited me. The only fruit was prunes (about the only fruit I don't like LOL!) I used to ask the nurse to save me a yogurt from the fridge - but then it would often be snapped up first by someone in the next bed to me - or I would be told the fridge had broken down (2 or 3 times).

My only option was to keep long-life custard in little pots, and tinned fruit, in my locker. Once I kept back a couple of bananas from another meal - but they were thrown away when I wasn't looking :(

You just work out ways round it all. Salt, and jams were at a premium, so we used to save them and toss them across the ward to each other. (None of us could get out of bed much as we were in the acute fracture clinic.)

George Orwell's experience is a world away from hospitals today.

[Tom]

oh no! poor you, Jean. That sounds like it would've been very frustrating, but a great idea about the custard and tinned fruits :D

Salt and jams at a premium, I wonder why that was?

[Bionic Jean]

They just seemed to run out of the little packets, so when they were there we would each always take one, even if we weren't using it! I suppose it was a bit like panic buying :(

When I'd been there about a week, I asked Chris to get me some individual jams from Amazon to bring in - and I was surprised to learn that they are quite expensive!

[Josephine]

Everything is so expensive, but since covid it has become more so. The price of everything has gone up. so sad.

[Petra]

Josephine, prices have skyrocketed. It's so expensive, even for the basics now. I worry a bit about those who were struggling before the price hikes.

[Josephine]

It is sad that people who are struggling with families won't be able to pay for health care, or if can get health care, not the good kind. George Orwell's writing about people who are poor die, while those who can afford good doctors can spend a little more time on earth. George Orwell was a good writer who told it how it was. But however, good doctors, good healthcare can't always live forever. We all have to go sooner or later.