A tonsillectomy is something many college students are familiar with after becoming regulars to their respective health centers. I am recovering from a tonsillectomy I had about a week ago. Ask anyone who has had one or will be getting one soon...there is a lot of food you can't have or won't be wanting to have for basically 3 weeks, despite them insisting it's a two-week recovery. 3 weeks is a long time to go without any flavorful, textured, or interesting food. To be exact, that's 21 days worth of meals you can't spend trying out the crazy delicious summer recipes Buzzfeed is dropping or going out to eat with your friends to reunite at your favorite dinner spot. Long story not so short, you come to miss some foods more than others. I'm sure these aren't the same for everyone, but in an attempt to keep me sane, I will list just about every food group I have already craved.
1. Cookout Food
It's summer break... c'mon. You just busted your ass during finals week, it's warm and even if you're from Northern CT you can find a few days to sit outside on a towel and ~freckle~ if you're of the paler variety such as myself. But, seriously, if you ask ANYONE to describe a summer night or a summer house party, grilled food, pasta salad, corn, watermelon, and every other summer food is on the list. A grilled patty is second to none on a nice summer evening. Pair that with some crunchy chips on the back patio or mom's homemade pasta salad. If you're like me and they make this meal the second night after your surgery, you will find some energy and determination to overcome the pain to take a few, overly chewed bites of the beloved pasta because carbs.... Anyways, besides being THE iconic summer dinner, it is full of flavors, textures, variety, and not to mention it's normally a social event too. Yes, this is missed when you're inside on a couch watching Netflix, sleeping or watching food videos to feel some satisfaction from the mushy, chilled, flavorless food that is not restricted. Let's be real, some food is worthy suffering some throat pain to enjoy. (Don't tell my surgeon, please!)
2. Mexican Food
The spice and textures and warmth of the food, yum just yum. Mexican food may not be at the top of other tonsillectomy-survivors lists, but it sure is for me. I want two big beef enchiladas with the juicy ground beef wrapped in a soft flour tortilla with warm gooey cheese melted on top with either tomatillo sauce or salsas roja on top, sour cream, and sides of Spanish rice and refried beans all touching in a hot large platter-like plate. The fresh tortilla chips with salsa and guac would also help hit this ultimate food itch. The doctors say after a tonsillectomy, you have to avoid crunchy foods, spicy foods, hot foods, anything super dry that could get caught in your throat, basically anything but Jell-O and applesauce.... Don't get me wrong they're great, for like a day. This Mexican feast sounds just a wee bit better to me right now.
3. Chick-Fil-A
This kind of follows along with any fried food but nothing beats Chic-Fil-A's waffle fries and spicy chicken sandwich. It's just warm, comfort food that feels a little less fatty than eating straight up fried chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy, etc. Crunchy, but somehow still soft, fries with a crunchy chicken patty on soft buns and a lemonade sounds insanely amazing and would hit the summer-y drive-thru spot reaallly well tonight.
4. Five Guys
While you'd think burgers and and fries would fall under cookout food, it is deserving of it's own category. I have had DREAMS of going out for a burger dinner at Five Guys or Red Robin for the past few nights. The greasy restaurant smell with hot fries and a big burger is something I never thought I would crave. When you're barely able to swallow air without wincing even on the good pain meds the doctor gives you, a big bacon cheddar burger with steak fries and a strawberry lemonade literally gives me hope for the future of my stomach. Cracking peanut shells munching on salted peanuts while waiting for your number to be called at Five Guys is a fantasy worthy in my current restricted intake state.
5. Baked Goods
Preface: I am a sucker for baked goods. I love scones, muffins, pastries, cookies, you name it, I love it. So homemade baked goods like my mom's apple tarts are to die for. The crunchy baked pastry shell with apple slices and cooled apple jelly shine on top. Yum. Fancy? Yes, but delicious. The flakiness of pastry would absolutely kill a raw throat after tonsillectomy, I understand. But this doesn't mean when you walk through the grocery store to get your pre-softened, flavorless mush for the next few days and see the bakery's fresh pastries on the shelves you don't feel your stomach sigh in frustration with you.
6. Seafood
Lobster, salmon lox on a bagel with cream cheese, shrimp scampi, crab, sushi, etc. Fairly soft yes, but chewy and often topped or accompanied by things that would irritate a very tender throat. With summer being high time for seafood and sales and Groupons for new sushi places, it does suck to be laid up on this flavorless binge for a few weeks while your friends' snap stories are of the new seafood restaurant that opened up the town over that you found and told everyone about. Bummer, dude. I mean you can ~relate~ to the seafood in that you too will be covering your face in ice just like the seafood rests on ice floors until it's cooked too (morbid humor but hey gotta through the pain somehow right?). But would you ever really want one again when even the best lobster roll feels like sand is just being grated against your throat?
7. Crunchy snacks
So, snacking while watching movies, Netflix, TV, or even reading is a problem for me. However, I enjoy this problem. I'll sit with a bowl of popcorn, chips and a few triangles of Laughing Cow cheese spread, cheese slices and crackers, etc and mindlessly watch TV or read. Well, let me tell you, none of those things are edible on this Tonsillectomy recovery meal-plan. No crunch, no salt, no baked, no nothing. It's a rough life.
8. Spicy Foods
This kind of goes along well with my craving for a Mexican dinner feast. But, even the Spicy Pepper Jack Laughing Cow spread on tortilla chips is hard to go without. No salsa, no kick from anything really in any sauce. So, if your family is having a pasta dish, you have to set yourself aside plain pasta before the rest gets mixed in with the delicious and forbidden sauce that will make you likely cry from the throat pain you will inflict upon yourself. I'm not a huge spicy food person, but I do like the slow heat from a good Pad Thai, a spicy Chinese or authentic dish from some other cuisine from around the world. Oh well, I'd say smell ya later spicy food... But i'm hoping to smell ya sooner than later!
9. Ice Cream Cones
Ice cream is highly encouraged by ENT surgeons, but A HUGE NO to the beloved ice cream cone: the original edible food container. I wanted to try Cole and Vanilla ice cream, like a root beer float. Big mistake. The acidity of the Coke with the bubble-foam of the ice cream reaction was awful. My throat burned and the flavors were gross unlike the iconic root beer float flavor. Whatever, I'll stick with my tried and true chocolate milkshakes from now on. Until next month, ice cream flavor freedom and the luxury of a crunchy waffle or sugar cone.
10. Breakfast foods
Some foods like plain scrambled eggs is encouraged but breakfast is so much more than plain, boring eggs. Bacon is a huge no... and what is breakfast without this classic crunchy meat slice? No toast or potatoes O'Brian or tater tots or waffles or home fries. No fresh fruit, no fruit juice, no coffee. Like please name a more BORING and unappetizing breakfast: one scrambled egg, no salt, not pepper, no cheese, and maybe a plain pancake with no syrup, and water. Oh, don't forget your pain medication, too.
So yep, tonsillectomies literally suck the fun out of food. RIP to the foods I haven't had in over a week. I will be reunited with you as soon as I am almost physically able to endure your flavors, textures, and spice levels! But until then...
