Friday, July 17, 2009

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Who would have thought it? The ambience isn't exactly five-star — it wouldn't even warrant a half-star rating. And besides getting a smile from the man I paid my money too, the female server who slopped the food on the plate, barely looked at me. But one thing I can say, she served up a darn tasty meal. Or could it be that I was just that hungry that anything would have tasted good to me? That's what I've been wondering over the past few days, after having occasion to "dine" at the cafeteria at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), after having to spend an inordinate amount of time at that facility awaiting news on a loved one. I ventured into the drab — actually depressing room called the cafeteria — set up with picnic-style tables with my family in tow, because it was the closest place to get something to eat. As I opened the door, the scent of the BBQ chicken was the first thing to assail my nostrils. The surprising thing is that on a good day I'm not usually a BBQ chicken eater, preferring ribs instead, but on that day it smelled fabulous, and "called out" to me. The smell was just too much to ignore. I just prayed that it tasted as good as it smelled. I got to the order window, and opted for a piece of chicken corn on the side and no rice. My first bite of that chicken breast was a pleasant surprise. By no means was it close to a one-star meal, but the bird was moist and flavorful. The kind of home-style chicken you'd want to serve your family. It was the kind of chicken which leaves your children begging their mom to make week after week, because their mom makes it best. The corn turned out to be crisp and delicious, and not the soggy mess I'd anticipated, which is usually the case when it's been sitting around too long after being overcooked. n See Foodie on L10 Even more impressive, the meal was wallet-friendly too at just $4, which made me think that I needed to run — not walk — back to the office to tell my colleagues, and anyone else who listen. And I did just that. To my surprise a number of people I spoke to them had heard that PMH's cafeteria does indeed serve good food, and the conversation would inevitably turn to the baked breads that can be had there too. One person even recounted the tale of a cousin from Washington D.C. who visits annually and makes it a point after she lands to telephone the hospital cafeteria to find out when the bread would be coming out of the oven. She says her cousin and her mom then drive to pick up six loaves, and would eat a whole loaf of bread each while they drove home — pulling off chunks with their bare hands, and indulging as they drove, saving the other four loaves to enjoy later. Skeptical of a story about eating a whole loaf of bread, I was assured that the story was indeed true. So, I've deduced that I wasn't just hungry to the point where anything would taste good. The food at PMH's cafeteria tastes like my mother would make, or dare I say possibly even better, so why wouldn't someone else enjoy their breads so much that they could eat an entire one to themselves? Actually, I would willingly eat there again. I may even drive there just to purchase the economical meal, and not because I'm in a position where I had to eat there because it was the closest place to the emergency room. Wednesday, July 1, 2009