It’s difficult to carry off any sort of savoir fair when you are spending your days in a hospital bed.  But, I’m here to tell you, that Nyel has managed to set the bar pretty high in the Sophistication Department at Ocean Beach Hospital!

First, let me say that ever since the St. Vincent’s Hospital crew filled him up with fluids and sent him off without a plan for getting him back to his “dry weight” as it is called in the world of Congestive Heart Failure, he has had no appetite whatsoever.  “I feel full up to here!” he says, gesturing well above his head.  “If I add one bite, I’ll be seriously sick to my stomach.”

So it is that he manages to choke down a little breakfast each day (yogurt and a fruit cup) and a lunch usually of the same ilk and refuses dinner no matter what.  The dietician has added Ensure to his nutritional requirements and is urging him to eat proteins so his bones can knit.  As for me – I have never, in the thirty-five years we’ve been together, seen Nyel refuse a meal – until now.  If I didn’t know how sick he is, his loss of appetite would be a huge indicator.

Yesterday, our friends Petra and Michael came visiting.  They called first and asked Nyel what they could bring him from the big city across the river.  “A nice baguette and some French brie,” was his immediate answer.  And, as soon as the bread was sliced and the brie removed from its wrappings, Nyel began to eat.

Sidewalk Cafe in Paris

Half the baguette and most of the brie later, he began to slow down a bit – even asking us if we wanted some.  We demurred and, although I can’t speak for P&M, it wasn’t because we didn’t want some.  It was the sure joy of watching Nyel eat that obviated all thoughts of joining in.

Wow!  I can’t think of any other circumstances in which a hospital room has been magically transformed into a Parisian sidewalk café.  The ambiance wasn’t quite the same, to be sure, but Nyel’s pleasure in the food was une joie de voir.  He comes home today and you can bet I’m dusting off my old copy of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking! 

Bon Appetit!