Thursday, May 27, 2010

Cook softly and carry a big fork

Cooking to suit both Grampa George and Nana's varying diets means cooking more than one meal per meal, so to speak. Matter of fact we'll often end up with three different meals on one dinner table: one for Grampa G., one for Nana and one the rest of the family could eat.

Grampa George's recommended no-salt meals are a no-go. Enjoying a good meal is one of the few things he can still do with gusto and so I compromise: he eats low salt, but really small portions. And he's fine with that. When we eat out, he chooses anything on the menu he likes within reason, and the satisfaction it brings him is worth the toll it takes on his already compromised system.

Nana's various lifelong digestive issues have her quite used to a relatively bland diet. It's only lately that she's suddenly reaching for the salt and/or sugar to top any dish in front of her. Seems those 94 year old taste buds are slowing down and yearning for a burst of something to wake them up. Unfortunately she's also having a great deal of trouble swallowing. To combat this sometimes scary situation, I'm cooking soft for her now. And she doesn't seem to mind.

Creamed soups, mashed potatoes topped with creamy salad dressing, scrambled eggs with not much else but a few finely chopped herbs, goat cheese mashed with a fork, whatever makes it easier for her to enjoy a meal is fine by me.

In the end, as long as everyone leaves the table satisfied, then so am I. Tomorrow: mashed fish and chips with extra tartar sauce. Mmmmmmmmmm!

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