Callous Comics

    Back when I was a clinical intern, a required extra year of clinical rotations before taking the physician's licensure examination, I used to think of lunchtime as a nice break from the stress within the wards.
    As an intern in the hospital I was matched to, I wasn't receiving any pay, but I did get three free meals a day!  So if we weren't needed anywhere, my fellow interns and I along with the hospital staff would troop on over to the mess hall to get our free grub.  Perks of working in a government hospital, perhaps.
    I'll never forget my first time in the mess hall.  The line to get our food was legendary as was the steel sectioned food trays.  The lack of utensils was a definite surprise (we had to bring our own).  As was the mountain of salt at the ready to add that ever-elusive thing called "flavor" to our free food.  But no aspect of the mess hall experience was more legendary than the mysterious, often-served dish we collectively and endearingly referred to as "beef with brown sauce".
    To be fair, I enjoyed it.  But after several straight trips to the mess hall to find the same old fare I was beginning to realize that I had experienced the extent of the viand variety that the mess hall had in its repertoire.
    In fact, if there was even the slightest variation in our cuisine it would be a magnanimous event! You'd think the Beatles were reuniting for one last performance in the mess hall.  Nevertheless, you could always count on "beef with brown sauce" to return.
    Today, I actually miss it. :)