Sandwich Anyone?

What’s the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten?

This may sound like a strange response out of all the delicious foods out there, and it gets even more strange when I share with you that this delightful delicacy was served up at McMaster Medical Health Center Cafeteria!! Yes, in a hospital! There’s nothing quite like a hungry Doctor, Resident, or RN, and they knew that the food needed to be top-notch, and it was.

“What is a Reuben Sandwich”, you may ask? A classic Reuben is a sandwich consisting of thinly sliced piles of corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, Russian dressing between slices of rye bread that is grilled until the bread is crispy and the cheese melts! YUM!!

As someone who fainted at the sight of blood before becoming an RN, and having been a patient, the thought of being hungry in a hospital never occurred to me before! But hungry I was. With 12-hour shifts and fewer staff than when I was in training, the physical and mental workout was real. Food wasn’t an option, it was a necessity.

I was just 25 and working hard to look after all my patients in a medical/surgical ward. I had Residents to chase, meds to transcribe and give, IVs to monitor, baths and dressing changes to accomplish plus giving much needed emotional support. I was a busy young woman, and as such, worked up quite an appetite. The Reuben was always on my mind by 10:30 am no matter what I was doing! Lunchtime was a happy and needed respite.

Even the Cafeteria itself felt more like a Restaurant, with low lighting and big windows looking out onto a park-like view.

So of all the options of foods to choose from, that is where my memory takes me. It’s funny but true!