Dysphagia Dining

Reader Dear,  I was now walking, talking and... eating!  My first meal was brought to my room:  Cooked chicken, Mashed potatoes with gravy,  Peas, and Applesauce.

The Speech Therapist had told me to expect pureed foods, and that's exactly what it was: dysphasia dining* at its finest!  The chicken was ground and shaped into a mushy patty; the mashed potatoes were the instant kind, the peas had been pureed and then molded to look as though they had not been pureed. (It was all slightly weird, but I appreciated the thought behind it--with a little luck, one's brain might suggest to oneself that this is a normal plate of food!).



But, here's the thing: I was not hungry!  My trusty bag of dripped-in nutrition had not been removed more than a few hours earlier.  I found it difficult to eat this meal that should have thrilled me with its real, honest-to-goodness-cooked-food-in-the-mouth feel, if not its taste and texture!

But, having such an aversion to food going on the garbage heap, I did my level best to eat the pap; I didn't get half of it down.

*Tomorrow I will take you with me, Viewer Dear, to the Dysphagia Dining Room**!  It's an exclusive dining spot for those with difficulty swallowing.  Does it not sound delightful?! (I am rolling my eyes!)

**I'm also working on an improvement of the disagreeable name.
How about:

Mushy Meals
Semi-solid Suppers
The Gelatinous Joint
***

***Help me out, here, Reader Dear.
Any suggestions?!