I am back in the hospital trying to shake this bout of pneumonia. There are many unenjoyable things that go on in a hospital—being awaken multiple times during the night to check on vitals, draw blood, and fix the IV machine whose alarm is pretty alarming.

Another unenjoyable part is the food. The sound of the dishes of the day are sometimes quite enticing, mushroom risotto, pad Thai, or chicken enchilada. The taste, though is disappointing. Everything is cooked with a minimum of fat and no salt. So basically everything is flavorless.

One of my lunch choices was a tuna salad sandwich with a salad, celery and carrot sticks, a couple of unsalted saltines, and some grapes.

I figured that the tuna would have a slightly briny flavor and I added mustard to the bread, crunched up the saltines to put on top along with the celery, and covered the whole thing with salad greens. Passable.

For dinner I had a chicken enchilada with beans and rice. The cheese and tomato sauce really helped out the enchilada and I squeezed some of my orange slices over the rice and beans. Nonetheless the saltless beans were pretty bad.

I am so glad to be home tonight and eat regular people food and maybe get a few hours of continuous sleep. The staff at the hospital was great but I am really hoping not to see them again any time soon!