Woman Who Just Gave Birth Shares the Delicious Food Served to Her in a Japanese Hospital

Omuraisu, macaroni salad, chicken soup, squid rings, fruit, and green tea

When it comes to hospital food, the dishes often feel like an afterthought. Bland and uninviting, there’s a reason that people in the U.S. want their loved ones to sneak in a burger and fries from the outside world. In Japan, however, it’s a different story; the hospital food looks like a gourmet meal! A Redditor with the username hadababyinjp documented the dishes she ate after giving birth in a local clinic, and there was no weird jello to be found on any of her trays.

The dishes included things you’d find served in a restaurant. During one of her meals, she had chicken with mushroom sauce, braised pumpkin and pork, and a daikon carrot side salad. The Redditor snapped photos of all of these preparations—including the rest of what she was served. It not only sounds appetizing, but looks it, too; seeing these trays might make you unexpectedly crave some hot soba noodles.

In the comments of the now-viral Reddit post, hadababyinjp sheds more light onto labor and delivery in Japan. “The standard here is 4 days for all women,” she explains. “My delivery was very standard, no complications.” Of the food, she recalls, “All the calories were posted every day so we could see how much we were eating. All three meals always added up to between 2000-2500 calories, plus they gave us a small afternoon snack like a cream puff or small piece of cake and tea.” This, she says, “is a bit much for most Japanese women,” but that the overfeeding was probably to help with recovery and offer options in case there were food that a patient didn’t like.

The Reddit post, aside from offering a fascinating look into hospital food across the world, also yielded an interesting discussion on giving birth in different countries. Read the entire thing here.

Redditor hadababyinjp documented the hospital food she ate after giving birth in Japan.

Salmon with mushroom sauce, soba noodles, rice, eggplant and beef, broccoli, and hijiki salad

Sea bream, pasta salad, chicken meatballs, pickled daikon, rice, miso soup, chawan mushi, and green tea

Don’t be surprised if you find yourself getting hungry from the menus…

Chicken fingers with shredded cabbage salad, bitter melon stir fry, agedashi tofu, carrot salad, rice, and miso soup

Mackerel, konbu salad, natto, spinach salad, miso soup, rice, milk, and green tea

Mushroom pasta, potato salad, broccoli and bacon salad, chicken soup, fruit, bread, and green tea

Cod, shredded cabbage salad, pasta salad, sweet potato and peas, rice, and green tea

Salmon, tofu, spinach salad, natto, miso soup, rice, and milk

… compared to the United States, they look like gourmet meals!

Fried fish with tartar sauce, braised mountain potatoes, hijiki salad, spinach and carrot stir fry, rice, and green tea

Unknown fish, braised vegetables, niku jaga (meat and potatoes), cucumber and baby corn salad, rice, miso soup, and green tea

Final “Oiwai (Celebration) Dinner”: Camembert and raisins, roast beef, mashed potatoes, kabocha, lotus root with gravy, corn soup, rice, salad, tiramisu, fruit, orange juice, and green tea

h/t: [Reddit]