OPINION (AN COLÚN): Wrong-running veins and a hospital's bad food

Genetics can sometimes be a curse. In my case one of the ways in which my genes display themselves negatively is the condition of varicose veins.
My mother tells me that a number of relations had varicose veins down through the years. Complications can arise in relation to the condition which can lead to death, a word that always concentrates the mind intensely.
Over the years I've had three operations on my legs because of the issue. A couple of weeks ago I underwent the third operation. I had been hoping for the less invasive laser treatment process but the consultant said it had to be vein stripping. This entails making an incision in the groin and threading through a wire which excises the problematic vein as it passes through.
The operation went well. My legs are bruised and sore but the recovery is going well. Lots of walking is recommended and I should be back at full strength in a couple of weeks' time.
One thing during my hospital experience that greatly surprised me was the quality of the food and drink which I was offered after the operation. The nicest thing you could say about it is that it was inappropriate. If I was feeling a bit more emotional and less diplomatic I would call it appalling. The reason I was so taken aback by it was because our health system is constantly lecturing us about the perils of being overweight and the essential nature of proper nutrition in our diet.
The subject of what we should eat is a minefield. It's an area which is filled with cranks. But there are some things which are indisputable. One of them is that sliced pan is not good for you. (In the past I used to love lathering a piece of white sliced pan in salty butter, putting a big sausage on top, rolling it and eating, with the buttery juices dripping onto my plate, and down my sleeve if I wasn't careful. Several years ago my doctor said sliced pan was glutenous and was to be avoided. I switched to wholemeal). As I lay on my bed after the operation the nurse (who was friendly and did a good job) gave me toast and coffee. The toast was white sliced pan. I couldn't believe it.Here I was, in an otherwise fantastic hospital, and they were giving me this.
The coffee was disappointing as well because it was instant rather than the “real” stuff.
Looking at the desperately unhealthy bread and the unappealing hot drink I felt I was in a time warp, as if much of the transformation in nutritional thinking and practice over the last number of decades had been discarded.
Afterward, I wondered if below standard food was confined to just my hospital or a small or greater number of hospitals. I surfed the net. It was like opening a pandora's box of complaining.
People giving vent to their negative emotions is standard practice on a lot of internet forums; much of this negativity is nonsense and should be ignored. However there were many reasonable and decent critiques of hospital food in the midst of all the chatter. One person who stayed a couple of days in a hotel in the midlands complained that there was “no imagination or thought whatsover put into patients' taste in the 21st century in Ireland.” He pointed out that food affects our mood and therefore the HSE should give it more thought and imagination.
Another website told me that there are two types of patient food delivery systems in Irish hospitals. In both these systems the food is prepared in the main kitchen and then delivered to the wards. There is obviously a lack of innovation and forward-thinking going on in the main kitchens.
I also read that up to half of the food provided to patients in Irish hospitals is not eaten, which means there's a big wastage of food. Sinn Féin TD Louise O'Reilly said the reasons for “such staggeringly high levels of food waste can be complex.” She added that it's often reported that much of the food waste is due to “poor quality food, or the provision of unsuitable food.” The main reason patients did not eat their food was that the portion size was too big. (One way of avoiding this is to provide clear menus to patients outlining meal size options.)
A report in a national paper claimed that hospital food in Ireland is so bad it makes patients sicker. It quoted a patient who complained of being served “shrivelled-up broccoli.” Another patient talked of “shrivelled gray meals when you're feeling at your lowest,” and the uninspiring smell of boiled veg and deep fat fryer oil.
Some people point out that older patients want plain, simple food, which is fine of course. Menus should cater for them as well as for a more ambitious palate.
Apparently the Rotunda in Dublin has the best hospital food in the country. When the Rotunda started adding more ambitious and adventurous offerings to its menu (such as goat's cheese tart) many were sceptical but the offerings got a surprisingly positive reception from patients.