Food: A Powerful Influence
Ask anyone who recently attended a wedding and what is one of the first things they mention? The food. A long awaited vacation to a European destination can be defined by the delicacies of your visit. And an evening out to dinner and a movie can be spoiled by a bad meal.
I was experiencing just that as I kicked myself for ordering chicken parmesan in an Irish pub.
My husband sat there giggling at me as he enjoyed his Shepard’s Pie. “The menu said it was a chef special,” I sheepishly said as I pushed the soggy spaghetti around my plate. You see, for me, a working mom of a two year old, a meal minus the sippy cup being dropped or the chicken nugget being snagged by the family dog is truly a time to savor. I don’t have to worry about ketchup in my hair or mandarin oranges thrown to see if they’ll stick to the wall. A dinner out, even if it is in a busy and loud pub, is my once a week oasis.
And now my limp noodles and tasteless marinara sauce were blowing a huge sandstorm into my lagoon of serenity.
Food seems to be everywhere you look these days; in advertising and as product placements in movies and ballparks. We even have a whole cable network dedicated to the art of food. It seems that at any time of day, you can tune in to someone “on the road” or someone else “in the kitchen.” Holidays seem to center around food as well. My sister, Liz, is somewhat fanatical about our Christmas Eve dinner. Every year, not sure why, but my mom has made Chicken Cordon Bleu (chicken with ham and swiss). One year, my mom declared that she was going to make prime rib and it sent Liz into a tailspin. “You can’t do that,” she exclaimed. “We ALWAYS have chicken cordon bleu!” So, my mother prepared both and last year, when I hosted my first Christmas Eve dinner, I dared not to change the menu.
Food, outside of its obvious nutritional purpose, provides comfort and familiarity. So when I recruit for culinary positions in our hospitals division, I always explain to my candidates the impact that food can make to our clients. Good food and attention to nutritional needs, such as a low salt or low sugar diet, are imperative to restoring the health of a patient. Efficiency in our cafeterias will allow the doctors and nurses who are eating there to have a quick meal and get back to their most important task – tending to patients. And last, but not least, excellent service, a smile, a hello, even a congratulations to a new mother, will uplift a patient, providing them with an invaluable medicine for the soul. I know this first hand because I once was a patient at a Sodexo account and the courtesy the food service staff provided made my stay in the hospital seem a little more tolerable . A company is only as good as the product or service it provides and in hospitals, remembering that our patients are at the heart of everything we do makes us the successful company we are.
As I said in the beginning, food is powerful and our employees in food operations throughout the country have the ability to make every day a better day because of it . I will always remember that as a patient, I was valued and appreciated.
And on my next evening out, I will remember to leave the chicken parmesan to an Italian restaurant.
Guest post by Michele Posehn and courtesy of Sodexo Careers Blog Making every day a better day.
