Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2017/10/12/socialism-is-delicious.html
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That makes me sick.
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Remind me what the average Japanese life expectancy is again?
Japan: 1st in world
US: 31st.
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ironically…if we did have this in the US, that entire tray of food would be one color, mostly processed foods, and slathered in some kind of sugar based condiment or gravy.
good news would be you’re already in the hospital for your impending coronary!
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Hurry up, catch a flight to Japan!
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Bad news: You can’t afford it.
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Actually, the food at Vermont’s UVM Medical center is not bad at all. Most of it locally grown, some of it on the hospital’s own rooftop garden.
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This spread would cost over $9,000.00 in a U.S. hospital.
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What heresy is this? You’d almost think Japan had decided that sick people need good food for optimum healing. Now that’s some sick fucked up shit.
Everybody knows that people heal fastest when fed a mixture of library paste and sawdust. Which is what most North American hospital food is made of.
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Ehh, there is a little behind that which gets lost. The 1st in the world is most notably Okinawa. The rest of the country is down a few pegs (still top 5).
But the average Japanese diet is loaded with stuff which is stomach cancer promoting. A lot of preserved meats/fish, ridiculously high salt content, surprisingly high sugar content on many dishes. Its still much safer than what the average American eats.Plus their healthcare system makes up a lot of the difference there. Japanese people see doctors more often, especially the elderly.
A couple of things on that menu are worrisome:
Omuraisu (is just an omlette with fried rice and ketchup. Pure carb and cholesterol bomb)
pickled daikon (crazy high salt and artificial sweeteners)
miso soup (so much salt that miso paste never expires)
konbu & hijiki (Both come right from the ocean with sea salt encrusted on it)
agedashi (FRIED tofu)
Damn, I am hungry typing this out!! I love all that stuff and can make much of it at home.
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I know about local variation. I live in one of those places where the average male life expectancy is over 80. I confidently expect this to drop when we leave the EU. I am also aware that there are subway lines in both NY and London where life expectancy varies by around 7 years from one end to the other.
Also, different populations tolerate different diets to a degree. I believe the original research on salt levels was done on black Americans, but I can’t find the citation. There are reasons why they might have experienced population selection. Unless equivalent studies have been carried out on other ethnic groups, they shouldn’t be generalised. (Consider the very different patterns of tolerance to alcohol shown by Han Chinese, Siberians and Western European as examples along with lactose intolerance.)
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I was in the hospital last February, the first 3 days with nothing but ice chips and an IV drip. My first “meal” on day four was beef broth, lemon jello and a cup of black tea. At he time it seemed like one of the best meals I’ve ever had. It’s all a matter of perspective I guess.
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If it was piled up a couple of inches more, it could qualify as nouveau cuisine.
But Amrica isn’t a first world nation, not a fair comparison.
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Hey they’re going to get fat from all that hospital food!
Yeah, well, IF I ever give birth in a Japanese hospital, I will consider eating natto, but until then, you can have mine.
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Sounds awesome! But unfortunately that’s probably the exception, rather than the rule.
I had my daughter at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Not only was the food good (and they delivered extra portions to the maternity ward, no questions asked), but they offered a fancy congratulatory dinner the night before you were discharged. Filet mignon, champagne (or not-champagne if you were nursing), fancy dessert, the works.
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When my friend Susi gave birth in Germany I timed my trip perfectly to take care of her older daughter, my goddaughter. I was stunned at how fresh, appealing, and tasty the hospital food was. They set up a buffet in a dining room in the maternity ward with many types of freshly baked breads and rolls, sliced cheeses and meats, several salads, and a giant platter of fresh fruit. If patients were not able to go to the dining room their nurse fixed up a plate from the buffet, and would go back for seconds if needed. They could do all of this because of generous staffing.
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I had surgery a couple of years ago in a major hospital in a major Calif city. At my pre-op appointments I informed them that I was a vegetarian. My first food tray was non-vegetarian. When I asked for a change, the head nutritionist came to tell me they had no vegetarian hot food available at any meal. She asked me to make a list of what I would eat and they sent someone to Whole Foods. I ended up with vegan, packaged, microwave burritos for every meal. Too sick to fight with them. My friends kindly brought in food.
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