In America, hospital food has a reputation for being, well, less than desirable. The meatloaf is dry, the veggies are mushy, and people, a single cookie is not a dessert! However, in other countries hospital food can vary from bland and boring to gourmet. We’ve collected 17 photos of hospital meals from around the world to see how well the patients of the globe are being fed.
In March 2018, Sunbelt Staffing compiled a list of meals and photos from hospitals at home and abroad in an effort to learn something about how we can better our meals in America.
Of course, each meal varied in terms of local cuisine, but remarkably, the meals looked fairly similar to our own. Hospital meals everywhere are kept simple, nutritional, and for the most part, on the bland side.
Remember, if you’re in a hospital, it’s most likely because you’re seeking treatment for an illness or injury, and because of that, your meal will be tailored to suit your needs.
And no matter what, you’re probably not going to get a five-star dinner. Sorry.
Check out what hospital patients are eating across the globe. After doing our research, we can safely say that we definitely wouldn’t mind a brief stay in a Japanese hospital.
1. Bangkok, Thailand
Fried rice with corn and carrots served alongside a fried duck egg, with lime and green onions.
2. Sydney, Australia
White bread, jam, cream of pumpkin soup, apricot chicken, mashed potatoes, peas, and orange juice.
3. Busan, South Korea
Fried wonton with a bit of rice, some sort of cabbage salad, soup (perhaps Miyeok Guk — a seaweed soup), and a serving of meat.
4. France
This French hospital serves zucchini, some sort of oat, bread, cheese, cucumbers, and an orange.
5. Jakarta, Indonesia
Rice porridge, noodles, chicken, eggs, and tea.
6. Wisconsin, USA
According to Sunbelt Staffing’s report, patients in Wisconsin can be served a dinner of chicken pot pie and broccoli, with a chocolate chip cookie and coffee for dessert.
7. Auckland, New Zealand
Carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, and mince curry served with a slice of lemon and coconut bread with butter.
8. Johannesburg, South Africa
Poached egg, hash brown, sausages, and toast, served with coffee.
9. Japan
Porridge, mackerel, hijiki (seaweed) salad, white rice, and zenzai (a red bean soup).
10. Cully, Switzerland
Sunbelt Staffing reports that hospital patients in Cully are sometimes served a slice of quiche, a fig and walnut salad, an éclair, and apple juice.
11. Germany
Mashed potatoes, green beans with gravy, and sausage patties.
12. Richmond, Canada
Bok choy, sweet and sour pork, rice, honeydew melon, juice, milk, and coffee.
13. San Francisco, USA
Grass-fed meatloaf with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, a pear, coffee, milk, bread and soup.
14. Huddinge, Sweden
Chicken curry, mixed vegetables, rice, and an orange.
15. Spain
According to Sunbelt Staffing, some hospitals in Spain serve their patients dinners of chorizo (spicy sausage) and pepper rice, fruit salad, and orange juice.
16. Tokyo, Japan
Just look at all the goodness this Tokyo hospital had to offer — fresh fish, vegetable stew, miso soup, salads, bacon and eggs, cake — the list goes on.
17. Malvern, Australia
Lamb tagine, mashed potatoes, broccoli, and corn, served with a sandwich, soup, bread, and fruit.
Again, we’re not in the hospital solely for the food, so we guess we can’t complain. However, we definitely think we might be getting the short end of the stick over here in America.