What they tried to feed me today

[Mike Filigenzi]

Breakfast: an overcooked but otherwise edible quiche lorraine

Lunch: "Oven-fried chicken", meaning overcooked chicken with a soggy breading coating it. Came with (you guessed it) whipped potatoes and yellow gravy.

Supper was a broccoli beef dish served with a mound of short-grain rice. This was helped immensely by the Taco Bell hot sauce a couple of friends smuggled in to me today. Given that the broccoli was not overcooked, this was a pretty ok dish. A "snack-pak" of vanilla pudding was dessert.

[Jeff Grossman/NYC]

So, the "yellow gravy" must be flour and water and maybe a bouillon cube? Or is it better than that?

[Mike Filigenzi]

So, the "yellow gravy" must be flour and water and maybe a bouillon cube? Or is it better than that?

I think you pretty well nailed it, Jeff.

[Mike Filigenzi]

Yesterday was a "pulled pork sandwich", which consisted of a fairly decent amount of dry, shredded, grey meat on a bun. It was augmented with a packet of "Bullseye" barbecue sauce and a half piece of corn-on-the-cob.

Supper was the rotisserie leg quarter and whipped potatoes. (I may be getting that a lot. It has some actual flavor, resembles actual food, and the protein is good for me.)

[Karen/NoCA]

Are the vegetables you are getting organic, locally sourced, or do you know?

[Mike Filigenzi]

Are the vegetables you are getting organic, locally sourced, or do you know?

Most of the veggies are either canned or frozen. In a few cases, there have been some fresh ones - broccoli, in one case. I don't know if the fresh stuff is sourced locally or not. I'm pretty positive that none are organic.

They have a pretty good cafeteria downstairs for staff and visitors. My wife has had several good dishes there. I'll ask her to check and see if there's any effort made there to bring in local produce.

[Mike Filigenzi]

Lunch was macaroni and cheese with a packet of Taco Bell Green sauce in it to zing it up a bit. It was tolerable.

Today was taco night, with the black bean and beef tacos I mentioned earlier. This time, I was able to fortify them with packets of Taco Bell Fire Sauce, which was just what the doctor ordered. I actually ate everything on the plate, for the first time here.

My wife also brought me some Cock and Bull Ginger Beer, which I am sipping for afters. It's not wine, but it has a potent ginger flavor that sits well on my somewhat tender tummy.

[Jenise]

How are your taste buds holding up? Any changes yet?

[Mike Filigenzi]

So far, the taste buds are doing well. My mouth is a little sore overall (which is a side effect of the melphalan) but it's not too bad.

Yesterday's lunch was a Boca Burger. I'd heard of these things for years but never tried one. It arrived, a perfect 1/2" thick brown disc on a bun with catsup, mustard, and pickles. Tastewise, it was disappointing. It just didn't seem to have much flavor to it at all. It also produced some ancillary effects throughout the course of the day, but nothing that a HEPA-filtered, positive pressure HVAC system couldn't handle. The fries that came with it were not bad, though.

Supper was cheese pizza with a fruit plate. The pizza was just fine. Crust was thick and puffy, with a nice crispy bottom. It exemplifies the idea that pizza has to be REALLY bad to not be good.

[Mike Filigenzi]

I think I'm hitting a phase where the combination of inactivity and dull food has resulted in a pretty minimal appetite. Yesterday's lunch was mac and cheese, which is not bad stuff but I didn't want any of it. For supper, I somehow ended up with another Boca Burger! I pulled the Boca out and ate the bun with the catsup, mustard, etc. There was clam chowder as well, and it was pretty tasty. Thick, gloppy, potato-ey, little clam flavor, but still good.

Right now, the morning breakfast of Total Raisin Bran and melon is the one thing that really tastes good.

[Bob Sisak]

Can't say I really remember any hospital food. Only been twice. Once was back in 1953 when I was hit by a truck and spent 2 mos in hospital. Next was in 2005 when I had a "cardiac episode" and spent 2 days in. Glad I don't have to experience the "food" inside. Regardless, I hope you're doing well now and everything works out great in your future.

[Mike Filigenzi]

'Bout time to close this thread out. It looks like I'll be out of here in a few days and in the meantime, my diet will most likely consist of pizza, mac and cheese, and rotisserie chicken thighs.

I think I said this before, but the food here is very much like banquet food from a second-tier hotel. For the most part, it's dull and lacking in flavor. The best dishes are the kinds of things that you'd be ok with if you grabbed them on the run from an airport food court.


If I end up getting anything else noteworthy (in a good or bad way), I'll go ahead and post it. Otherwise, I look forward to getting home soon!

[Karen/NoCA]

Good for you Mike, home will never look better than the day you walk through the front door. Best wishes for a healthy recovery.

[Shaji M]

Indeed Mike, get well soon.
-Shaji

[Mike Filigenzi]

Thanks again to everyone for the support and kind wishes. They make this all much more tolerable.

[Jenise]

Mike, home yet?

[Mike Filigenzi]

I was released from the hospital on Wednesday, which was 15 days after being admitted. Up until a year ago, no one had made it through the procedure in less than 16 days, and since then only a couple of people have made it out on day 15. It really couldn't have gone much better.

[Redwinger]

I was released from the hospital on Wednesday, which was 15 days after being admitted. Up until a year ago, no one had made it through the procedure in less than 16 days, and since then only a couple of people have made it out on day 15. It really couldn't have gone much better.

Nice!

[Jim Cassidy]

Glad you are home and that things went well.

How is food tasting?

[Mike Filigenzi]

Glad you are home and that things went well.

How is food tasting?

Things are tasting pretty good. A good friend of ours from Minnesota has been staying with my wife for the past week or so, and she made "Italian Beef" last night. It's a sort of a pot roast with lots of garlic, onion, Italian spices, which is then shredded and cooked with more spices and beef broth and put in sandwiches. Tasted like heaven. I also had my first glass of wine last night - a Holly's Hill Syrah - that tasted great. I think I managed to avoid the chemo-palate thing.

[Fred Sipe]

Cheers!

[Jeff Grossman/NYC]

Hooray!

[Karen/NoCA]

We all always knew you had that special something!

[Jenise]

Mike, so good to hear! May you continue to beat the odds; let's all toast to that tonight, okay?