I noticed the other evening while watching the tv news that a large Sodexo truck was parked up next to the giant drilling rig being used to make an escape tunnel for the 33 miners trapped underground in Chile. For those who may not know, Sodexo is a massive corporation that has its tentacles in so many pies around the world, mostly supplying catering on behalf of governments to schools and hospitals. The company is an enthusiastic supporter of the Private Finance Initiative scheme run by the NHS and supplies many of the disgusting meals eaten in hospitals in the UK. Having tasted the stuff they produce I would advise the miners to stay put until the Sodexo truck leaves the rescue site. On the other hand, it occurs to me that Sodexo may be producing the meals being sent down to the miners. What a dreadful thought. Have they not suffered enough?
Well they do have to stay slim enough to fit up the shaft so perhaps it's all part of the plan:)
ReplyDeleteTrue. That must be the reason. As soon as they're up they'll feed them a proper meal.
ReplyDeleteIf they keep putting fingers in pies no wonder the food tastes disgusting
ReplyDeleteThe sooner the rescuers finish their job the sooner they can escape the food too. It might also stop them arguing about who get to be the last one out of the mine
ReplyDeleteWe have Sodexho at my workplace (yes it is government) and I couldn't agree more. I have to go pack my lunch now.
from Oz.
As my friend Richard says: "They called in Sodexo because they need to keep the miners slim in order to squeeze them into that escape pod." It's a niche market but I can't think of a better one for Sodexho to occupy.
ReplyDeleteSodexo was in my college...can't remember how bad it was but they wouldn't let food from off campus be brought on. So a teacher couldn't bring in Tim Horton doughnuts (a Canadian delicacy) or a pizza or other food for a class treat. Didn't stop us students though! Apparently it only applied to class "functions" and not our lunch bags.
ReplyDelete"Sodexo, your first stop in weight loss" move over Jenny Craig there's a new player in the house!
Libby (who has dipped into Timmy's doughnuts waaaayy too much this past summer so needs to do the "Sodexo diet")
Hi XTM,
ReplyDeleteLong time reader, never posted.
Glad to see you back. We were getting worried.
My elderly mother has just come out from 2 weeks in hospital. She said the food couldn't have been better. I was there one day when her lunch arrived. A whole chicken breast, baked potato, baby carrots and brocolli. Had a taste - delicious.
This medium sized Melbourne suburban hospital has recently switched from bulk food brought in, to in house cooking. Right move I think.
Carol in Oz
@ Carol. I beg of you, give me a clue which area.I'll move.
ReplyDeleteI go to the Medical day unit at a city hospital here and stay from early morning til late. I mostly manage to just have sandwiches which are good and some fruit at lunch, but a couple of recent times I have been non compus mentis with the treatment and they have kindly(?) ordered me a catered lunch. The catering is outsourced. Enough said.
Not sure how I'd be if in for a few days. An incentive to stay as well as possible.
XTM, it's great to see you back in action, the view from the house is interesting, what grow on those trees? Looks really peaceful provided that looking the other way there isn't a four lane highway. Anyway looking forward to more pics.
Hope all is well for you and family.
Chris in Melbourne.
It really is like that, Chris. No four-lane highways. Mind you, getting anything done with the local amanha it-can-wait approach to life can be a wee bit frustrating. Chill-out country.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to say that the trees are peach, walnut and chestnut. The walnuts are dropping now and the chestnuts should be ready for the Festival of St Martin on November 14. Roasted chestnuts are a big delicacy on the streets of Portugal with people buying bags of them to eat hot, as indeed we did in the UK until some idiot introduced chips, pasties and other high-fat snacks that people wolf down while walking the streets and shopping.
ReplyDeleteAs a Sodexo employee... I should point out that contracts are won based on bidding the lowest price, and as such the hospitals etc are in effect dictating how much can be spent on meals, which is why some are admittedly poor. I'm not aware of complaints from such venues as Royal Ascot, where Sodexo (no "h") have been delivering the high end catering for many years...
ReplyDeleteBottom line, you get what you pay for, and if Sodexo is paid peanuts to feed people, then peanuts are what you'll get...
My apologies to Sodexo employee. You are right to say that the hospitals dictate a price, but any self-respecting company with an eye on its reputation ought to withdraw from a tender if it's clear that the finances would force it to serve food that would destroy its reputation. Apologies for adding an H but I think my two weeks in Portugal altered my spelling ability as ho in a common ending.
ReplyDeleteOn the plus side for you... when I googled "Sodexo Chilean Miners" your blog was the number one result... which raised a few laughs in the office.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Sodexo truck at the mine was delivering donated food... can't vouch for the quality of the free stuff!
Ii must admit that I once dined at the European Parliament in Strasburg.. Sodexo were the caterers and The food was excellent. However, I believe the EU has deep taxpayers pockets to dig into so the budget was probably sky high.
ReplyDeleteChris,
ReplyDeleteOuter South Western Suburbs. However I can't vouch that they will have the care facilities you may need.
Carol in Oz