What A Diabeetus, Part 3
Colorado, Food & Drink, Health & Body, Hospital, USA | Healthy | January 23, 2018
(I work in the kitchen of a small hospital. I go to each room and take the patients’ orders for their meals. One new patient is a woman who is on a diabetic diet.)
Patient: *after ordering a huge meal, including iced tea with “a crapload of sugar”* “…and can my brother order something, too?”
Me: “Sure. It’s $5.40 for a guest tray, and you can order whatever you want.”
Patient: “Wait, you mean he can get all the food he wants for $5.40? Holy crap! This is the best hospital ever.”
(The patient’s brother orders a large meal, including a diet soda.)
Me: “All right. Now, since you’re on a diabetic diet, we’ll probably have to cut some of this out, because the rules say we can only give you so many carbs.”
Patient: “Whatever. I eat what I want.”
Me: “Okay. I’ll see what I can do.”
(We end up sending her about half of what she ordered, and using artificial sweetener instead of sugar.)
Patient: *calling back after getting her food* “Um, I didn’t get all my food.”
Me: “Since you’re on a diabetic diet, we can only send you that much. Sorry.”
Patient: “Well, my brother didn’t get what he ordered, either. He was supposed to get…” *she proceeds to list the things she didn’t get*
Me: *after a bit of futilely trying to reason with her* “All right. I can bring a little more food to him.”
(The cook lets me bring some more food to the brother.)
Me: “I’d like to see him put sugar in his diet soda.”
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