This is the SouperSalad restaurant at Beth Israel Hospital. I go sometimes four times a week for physical therapy (for my left shoulder, from a fall on the ice last year) and occupational therapy (for my right wrist, from typing too much) occasionally I stop in the restaurant to get a cup of coffee or a quick snack between appointments and I always end up leaving there completely depressed.

Because it’s in a hospital most of the customers are, of course, patients. No one is ever in a good mood. Old couples shuffle and hobble around the awkward layout of tables and discuss what the doctors told them; it seems like it’s never any good news. The staff doesn’t speak much English and for the most part is pretty unhelpful, and the food is terribly overpriced (and terrible!) There is such a vibe of sickness and decay inside that I can never stay for very long. I guess you could say it puts things into perspective (Hey, I don’t have cancer!) But still, it’s a place to be avoided.

I know that probably a lot of people think hospitals in general have this kind of vibe, but I never had had that experience. Hospitals have always had a pleasant connotation for me, because they make me think of my dad, who is a doctor. They remind me of when I was little and he would take me on his rounds to see patients (and then later for some ice cream) In general, just the complete opposite experience of what I get from this restaurant.