# Yum! hospital food is good! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 8, 2024, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yum-hospital-food-is-good/1008544 "2024-10-08T00:26:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2024, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yum-hospital-food-is-good/1008544/41 "2024-10-11T00:24:08Z")
Yeah, I had to wear a heart monitor when they were diagnosing my aFib, and I could shower with mine. I did have to wear it for a week IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2024, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yum-hospital-food-is-good/1008544/42 "2024-10-11T00:34:48Z")
My Zio monitor came with a 1 inch adhesive strip on each side to attach it inch below the collarbone, with instructs not to sweat heavily or clean that area for 2 weeks. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2024, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yum-hospital-food-is-good/1008544/43 "2024-10-11T18:16:22Z")
I know I had to protect it from water, but I don’t remember any injunctions against sweating. Maybe they took one look at me and thought: “Oh, she’s completely sedentary. _She_ won’t sweat!” ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2024, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yum-hospital-food-is-good/1008544/44 "2024-10-11T19:44:08Z")
I have 3 devices attached all the time. Yes, sweat and water affect them. Ask for device covers. They are much larger waterproof pads that magically stick, completely around the device with a strange adhesive that doesn’t pull your skin off. But it stays. I’ve never had one fall off. Now, I’m not running marathons or in a hot tub for hours. Normal showering and bathing. The sticky latex tape that comes with these devices, toss it. Or the so called peel off backing is worthless, if you can get it on right. You need four hands. They will give you the covers if they have them. I get mine at the diabetic clinic. Amazon sells them. I imagine any CVS or Walgreens has them. It’s not that hard. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2024, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yum-hospital-food-is-good/1008544/45 "2024-10-11T20:56:52Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > … I don’t remember any injunctions against sweating… > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > …Yes, sweat and water affect them… The machine I used had adhesive pads, onto which the leads clipped (so when you showered, you just unclipped the machine from the pads). I pointed out that I cycled for exercise and therefore was planning to spend time sweating like a pig, so they just gave me extra pads. Actually, nothing shifted those pads - I probably still have the spares somewhere. j ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2024, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yum-hospital-food-is-good/1008544/46 "2024-10-11T21:41:00Z")
They didn’t ask me jack. I got the device in the mail and the instructions were to put it on ASAP. Wish the doctor would have at least said it was coming. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2024, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yum-hospital-food-is-good/1008544/47 "2024-10-11T22:41:22Z")
Well, yeah. Someone should have told you and instructed you. Personally they’d hear from me about it. I can’t think they just willy nilly mail devices to people. Yeah, ask when you go back. You’re your own best advocate. ---
**Author:** ![Kitten\_Mitten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b782af/32.png) [@Kitten\_Mitten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kitten_Mitten)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2024, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yum-hospital-food-is-good/1008544/48 "2024-10-13T03:37:17Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I can’t think they just willy nilly mail devices to people. My husband had never had any aFib episodes until he was in the hospital earlier this year and was pumped an extraordinarily huge amount of saline into him. A lot of it went institial into his cells and it ended up pressing on his heart and causing an episode of aFib. When he came home, a monitor was mailed to the house. My husband refused to put it on. Sooner or later I had to mail it back. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yum-hospital-food-is-good/1008544/49 "2024-10-29T06:50:48Z")
When I was in the hospital earlier this year, the food was probably pretty good. But a fairly important part of the reason I was there in the first place was my insanely high salt intake, so I was not allowed to have any, and whatever off-brand, cut-rate Mrs. Dash bullshit salt substitute they gave me instead most certainly didn’t cut it. ---
**Author:** ![Eric1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3bc359/32.png) [@Eric1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric1)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yum-hospital-food-is-good/1008544/50 "2024-10-29T07:07:49Z")
You’re right about that in that salt substitute tastes so rank. I don’t know how manufacturers think it’s edible (I’m gagging right now thinking about it) My grandmother used to be a cook at a hospital and she said they couldn’t add any interesting spices to the food to make it taste good eg. marjoram in pasta sauce, sumac chicken, a lot of hot sauce. When she got home she surely made up for it with their spice rack. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2024, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yum-hospital-food-is-good/1008544/51 "2024-11-21T02:08:04Z")
Had to have a biopsy today, and since I had to stay in bed in the recovery room for 4 hours afterward, they fed me lunch. This place had a surprisingly good lunch menu, which included a half dozen entree salads, a custom-built sub sandwich option, meat-and-threes plates, and even a fajita platter. I wound up getting a hamburger with a thick patty that tasted like a home-cooked stovetop burger, as well as chips, a side salad, and an absolutely delicious chocolate brownie. I assume outpatients get access to a better menu than inpatients, because it was lightyears better than anything I ate during my weeklong hospital stay in Chicago last year. The staff themselves don’t seem to dine in, though - while I was getting wheeled through the hallway to the OR I passed some staff members who were carrying a couple dozen boxes of Mod Pizza, and I could smell the pizza aroma wafting into the OR before they doped me up. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2024, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yum-hospital-food-is-good/1008544/52 "2024-11-21T02:12:06Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > meat-and-threes plates " meat-and-threes plates"? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2024, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yum-hospital-food-is-good/1008544/53 "2024-11-21T02:14:55Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > " meat-and-threes plates?" “Meat and three” is a common thing at Southern restaurants, in particular. You get a choice of one of several meats (e.g., fried chicken, meatloaf, ham), and three side dishes. > **[Meat and three](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meat_and_three)** > > A meat and three meal is one where the customer picks one meat and three side dishes as a fixed-price offering. Meats commonly include fried chicken, country ham, beef, country-fried steak, meatloaf, or pork chop; and sides span from vegetables such as potatoes, corn, and green beans, to macaroni and cheese, hush puppies, and spaghetti. A dessert, such as gelatin, is often offered. Typical accompaniments include cornbread and sweet tea. > “Meat-and-three” is a regional term popular in the cuisine... ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2024, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yum-hospital-food-is-good/1008544/54 "2024-11-21T02:16:58Z")
Soooo…A southern version of Panda Express? 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2024, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yum-hospital-food-is-good/1008544/55 "2024-11-21T02:18:13Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > A southern version of Panda Express? More like Boston Market, if that still exists in your neck of the woods. Panda Express is three meats and one side, which is kinda the exact opposite of a meat-and-three. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2024, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yum-hospital-food-is-good/1008544/56 "2024-11-21T06:20:04Z")
Yeah. You got the good stuff. You must not have any dietary restrictions. They have to have some good stuff. They feed staff as well. In a room for a stay of a day or a dozen, and you’re ill, it is way way different. Believe me. Some places are better than others. Mostly in-patient food is bad. Reasons? Sure. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2024, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yum-hospital-food-is-good/1008544/57 "2024-11-21T13:27:48Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > They have to have some good stuff. They feed staff as well. Not generally. They have some chain restaurants and maybe a cafeteria on site for staff and visitors at large hospitals, and small ones just expect the staff to bring food or pick up takeout nearby. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2024, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yum-hospital-food-is-good/1008544/58 "2024-11-22T13:43:10Z")
I know at Cleveland Clinic (Weston) Florida, where I hang out way too often with my parents, I see people in scrubs buying food in the same cafeteria that I’m using. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2024, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yum-hospital-food-is-good/1008544/59 "2024-11-22T13:51:58Z")
Agree IME most larger hospitals have a hot service cafeteria to feed visitors and staff. If not 24/7, pretty close to it. Which IME is unrelated to what they feed patients. I suspect some of the disagreement here was posters thinking the staff eats the same meals from the same kitchen and from the same menu as the _patients_ do. Or posters thinking other posters had said and meant that. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2024, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yum-hospital-food-is-good/1008544/60 "2024-11-22T14:56:29Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Or posters thinking other posters had said and meant that. That is what i thought someone had said. Yes, the staff and visitors generally have the same food options. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yum-hospital-food-is-good/1008544.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yum-hospital-food-is-good/1008544.md?page=4)