Hospital canteens usually get a bad rap for their bland food. While patients munch on meals low in salt, sugar, and fat, the menu for visitors isn’t much better.
But one guy from England is challenging that stereotype. Meet Omar Shaf, who has a surprising love for hospital food and has made it a habit to grab lunch at a hospital every day for two whole years. Yes, you heard that right! According to The Bolton News, Omar, a resident of The Haulgh, went viral on TikTok for his enthusiastic reviews of chips and beans from the Royal Bolton Hospital.
Omar’s love affair with hospital meals kicked off in 2022 during a visit to the Royal Bolton Hospital to check on his dad. After working late shifts, he often relied on the canteen for a bite. The desserts quickly became his guilty pleasure, especially the “freshly made lemon drizzle” cakes. “Whenever I feel like treating myself, I head down for one of their cakes,” he shared. Omar also made it a mission to try food at various hospitals. When he wasn’t chowing down on chips and beans at Royal Bolton, he was enjoying jacket potatoes at Manchester Royal Infirmary.
Despite his passion for hospital meals, Omar admits he feels a bit sheepish about it. “I’m really embarrassed to say it, but I hit up all the hospitals to eat in their canteens,” he revealed to The Bolton News. This unconventional foodie says the whole experience reminds him of “having school dinners.” He joked, “I can’t just walk into a school and ask for a school dinner without raising some eyebrows, so I go to hospitals instead.”
Omar even mentioned that he sometimes visits hospitals “twice in one day.” To avoid being recognized by the staff, he would sneak home between visits to change outfits. “But I think I’ve blown my cover now,” he confessed, laughing that he’s “given the game away a bit.”
