My worst food memory from childhood was being fed milk toast when I was sick. Mom toasted and buttered some Wonder bread and poured hot whole milk on top. I remember her serving it in an oblong purple melamine bowl she had. I’m sure that’s what Grandma served Mom when she was a girl, and she thought it would help me feel better. It didn’t. Even in those days of a relatively limited palate, I resolved never to eat milk toast again. Maybe this is where my aversion to white, bland foods began.
Given our orthopedic mishaps of the last six months (my dislocated pinky, Julian’s fractured humerus), food in the short term after an injury has to meet three criteria:
- No cutting required at the table;
- Easily picked up with one hand if it’s a sandwich or finger food; and
- Not too gloppy, runny, or slippery.
Number one eliminates most meats unless ground, served in a sandwich, or pot-roasted until it’s easily shredded. Number two rules out overstuffed deli or sub sandwiches, or burgers piled high with mayonnaise-based sauces and other accoutrements. Number three scratches the aforementioned burgers, along with slippery noodles. Eating peas can also be problematic, especially if you’re forced to use your non-dominant hand.
These criteria limit one’s diet significantly. However, there are workarounds so you don’t have to rely on liquid meal replacers (unless you have a wired jaw, in which case you may need to do so). Stir-fries, casseroles, and baked pastas are good options. Fish, shrimp out of the shell, and scallops are easy to eat. Seafood in the shell is not a good idea. Supermarket rotisserie chickens are usually cooked to the point of shredding, so you don’t need a knife to eat them. Soups are easily consumed. If they’re too thin to eat with a spoon (e.g., tomato soup), you can always drink them out of coffee mugs. If you’re trying to eat with your non-dominant hand, you may find it useful to put your food in a wide bowl so you have the edge to push the food onto your fork or spoon. Don’t be fixated on how you’ll look eating this way. As long as you can feed yourself, you’re fine.
Fortunately for most of us, these limitations are temporary. After recovery or adaptation, we can go back to our normal food regimens.
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