"Taco trucks", and Leftovers



Where did this come from...how long has it been there= EMS Biohazard.



On any given day or night on an ambulance there's always that moment when you tell your partner that you're hungry. Unless you bring your lunch/snacks to work with you (which I am notoriously bad about), you and your partner are about to embark on a decision that could make or break your day.

There is rarely a slow day on the ambulance and we can be anywhere in the County at any given moment. Most of us on the ambulance know our Santa Clara County food geography pretty well, so if you are ever looking for a place to eat, ask a paramedic or EMT.

Indeed, there are many choices out there but when you're in a hurry and it seems the pager is going off every 5 seconds your choice could be impulsive, and unhealthy...and it usually is. 

I took this picture of a muffin in a box at one of our local hospitals the other day. There are a few school's of thought on that muffin....

1. I'm STARVED because I've been running calls for the last 6 hours, and the muffin looks like it's in pretty good shape. Bon appetite.
2. Where did the muffin come from, and how long has it been there.
3. Sure, it was nice of the hospital staff to leave this here for us, but the bottom line is simple. Unless you saw the hospital staff member bring the muffins, it's biohazard.



The reasoning is simple. We in EMS work in shifts, and that muffin may have been played with, experimented on, dropped on the floor (there is no 5 second rule in the hospital) while there for the last 24 hours ...or more. In fact, it may still be sitting at the hospital right now.  Then again, it all depends where on the hungry scale you really are. The scale is measured on a 1-10. 1 being a little hungry and 10 being "Donner Party hungry".

Besides left overs, there are other emergency food sources while on the road. Consider this; you've been running calls for several hours, you're "Donner Party hungry", and you've just dropped off your 7th patient at the hospital when you see it...."It" being that glorious gleaming gem formerly known as "the roach coach".



A glorious gleaming gem.



Nowadays, it's just not politically correct to use the term "roach coach" out loud. It's like calling the garbage man..."the garbage man", somehow that's offensive so we say "waste technician", or "sanitary engineer"...what ever.

Now, we call the "roach coach" the "catering truck", or "Taco truck"...

These big shiny beacons are usually sitting on hospital grounds wafting their fried fumes towards the ambulance bay day or night. They can also be found on any given street corner throughout the county selling killer tacos, burritos, and other great Mexican food.

I don't by any means recommend eating "taco truck" food on any sort of regular basis, but in a pinch when you're big hungry and you've got cash, they've got some greasy goodness for you.

My biggest issue on the road, is that I'm a "burritoholic". Yup, admittedly. I love burritos...chicken ones, with beans, cheese, salsa, (or orange sauce) and avocado. They are my kryptonite. In Santa Clara County, there are SO MANY options if you want a burrito. They're everywhere, easily accessible, and oh so good.

Alas, I try to eat healthy out there most of the time.

The best way to get some food on the road if you don't bring it with you, is to hit a grocery store (time permitting) or a Subway. Healthy food is always lurking out there, you just have to be only a little hungry, and have a few minutes to spare.

If you're in EMS or not, here's to eating better at work. Challenge yourself to to get a healthy lunch at work and home, you'll feel better in all aspects of your life. And remember, if you're looking for a good place to eat, ask a paramedic or an EMT....