I injured my foot. Yep, all that chasing after Chip n’ Dale, Pocahontas, Pinnochio, and Mom caused my right foot to start hurting quite a bit. After a few weeks of Ibuprofin and ice, I went to the doctor. She decided to have an x-ray taken just to make sure there isn’t a small fracture. “Which diagnostic center do you want to go to?” the doctor asked. “Hmmm,” I thought “I could make an outing of this.” I chose the Providence Hospital diagnostic center in NE Portland. Why? Read on, gentle reader, read on…
The best deli I’ve been to, in my life, is very close to the Providence Hosipital campus on NE Glisan street. The name of the deli is The Sandwich Depot Deli and its location is 5663 NE Glisan Street. The only thing I ever order is The Dagwood Sub.
I’ve read the cartoon Blondie since I was a kid. The sub Dagwood likes to eat is the best drawn sandwich in the world. It just looks delicious. Little scraps of ham, turkey, and the most delectible lunch meats hang off the edges of a deliciously fresh, white hoagie roll. The curly edges of crisp lettuce and fresh tomatoes dripping with sweet juice peak out the sides. You can’t see it, but somehow you know that sandwich is moist but not soggy, flavorful but not too spicey. No single taste stands out, all the components blend together to create that delicacy that can only be known as “The Dagwood.” Boy, Dean Young and John Marshall draw a sandwich good enough to eat.
I’ve spent many hours of my life trying to make a Dagwood sandwich. It has never matched its drawing. My main problems have been moistness and spicyness. I just can’t hit that mark between dry and soggy and I don’t know how to get flavor that isn’t too vinegary, salty, or peppery. The folks at Sandwich Depot Deli, do know how to do it. They make a sub as big as the one in the strip (proportionally to Dagwood, of course, not literally – otherwise it would be a tiny sandwich. Hmmm..that isn’t a bad idea…mini Dagwood subs…mental note…) and as tasty as it is drawn. It also isn’t very expensive. If you have to go to the hospital, and you feel you deserve a little treat, this is the way to treat yourself!
After lunch, I headed to the diagnostic center. One reason why I like this hospital is because the Catholics know how to do a hospital right. I’m serious. According to its website (http://www.providence.org/oregon/about_providence/History.htm), Providence Health system traces its history back to “1843, when a religious community of Catholic women was founded in Montreal, Quebec. Soon to be called the Sisters of Providence, this community grew from the work of a young widow, Emilie Gamelin, who dedicated her resources and ultimately her life to service for others.
In 1856, Mother Joseph of the Sacred Heart and four other Sisters of Providence arrived in Vancouver, Washington Territory. Within months of their arrival, the pioneer sisters began caring for elderly men and women, orphaned children and the sick in what was called the ‘Providence Enclosure.’”
While I am not Catholic, I have spent my fair share of time in Catholic founded hospitals (I was a sickly child fond of catching old fashioned diseases like Scarlet Fever), mainly at St. Mary’s Hospital in Reno, NV. According to their website (http://www.saintmarysreno.com/whoweare/history.php?d_pageID=31) “Saint Mary’s began its legacy of caring for the community in 1877, when a few Dominican Sisters made an unplanned stop in Reno on their journey from California to Kentucky. The Sisters stayed in Reno and built Mount Saint Mary’s Academy, to bring education to the children of farmers and miners in the area. The academy would eventually become Sisters’ Hospital as the rapidly growing community was in dire need of quality, caring health care.”
One of the best things about these hospitals is the atmoshpere of tranquility they create with art. Both hospitals, are beautiful places. My favorite part of St. Mary’s hospital (admittedly I haven’t been there for 25 years or more) was the chapel. I would peak in as we walked by it on our way to various offices, or to visit hospitalized family or friends. It was always filled with rays of multicolored light, since it was positioned in a way that the bright Nevada sun shined through the huge stained glass windows. There were always candles flickering at the altar, and usually at least one person would be quietly kneeling in a pew, praying for a loved one. It was always so quiet, still, and calm in that room. Passing by this chapel made me feel more spiritual than any church service I’ve attended.
Providence hospital in Portland has a great main waiting area with lots of art, windows, and plants. The thing that always amazes me about it, is how light and lively it is. There are always people sitting in that waiting area talking, meeting with family, smiling. There is nothing sickly about the atmosphere. It doesn’t feel (or smell) like a hospital. It feels like a community center. The Volkswalk signs around the waitintg area, furthered my feeling of community rather than sickliness.
The other thing I love about Catholic founded hospitals are the nuns. When I was a child in the hospital, the nuns would visit me and read stories or play Crazy 8′s. They were always gentle and calming. They were nothing like their knuckle-rapping stereotype. They never forced any religion on me, made me accept Christ into my heart in case I died soon, or terrified me about hell (unlike the more evangelical church services/Sunday school I attended as a kid).
So, after eating a delicious lunch, I strolled by brightly colored, blooming azaelas that were planted along the walkway from the hospital parking structure to the main door. I wandered through the hospital, looking at the lovely statues of children, The Virgin Mary, and historical figures who helped found the hospital. I remembered how nice people were to me when I was hospitalized as a kid, smiling as I conjured up the memory of a sweet older nun sitting next to my bed, holding my hand, and reading. I looked around and saw the same atmosphere of care and kindness that I remembered from my childhood. I smiled at folks and held the doors and elevators for them, and they smiled back.
You know, at work, it was rare that anyone smiled back. We usually exchanged grimaces, rolling eyes, or anemic waves. Yet, here at the hospital where people had real problems like cancer, arthritis, heart disease, pneumonia, diabetes, broken bones – folks smiled and exhibited kindness towards one another. People appreciated their circumstances, because down each hallway was someone sicker or unluckier.
I have to remember to hold onto the feeling of this afternoon, because compared to personal health, compassion towards others, peacefulness, and appreciating the perfect Dagwood Sub, work is inconsequential.
Thanks for this entry — it’s better for my soul than church on Sunday morning. Let’s have lunch at this deli soon ….
GrumpyPanda sent me an email today with this link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060511/en_nm/life_dagwood_dc_3 Apparently, the authors of Blondie are going to open a chain of Dagwood Sub shops.