Waiting Rooms in Hospital.

Recently I have spent a good amount of time in  waiting rooms. Waiting for action, waiting for results, waiting for machines to be ready. Also in waiting rooms are people. People with suitcases, overnight bags, paper bags with their possessions in, patients in slippers, and hospital pyjamas with dressings over wounds waiting. Nurses walking fast in different coloured uniforms that denote their rank s, pushing trollies with medicines and dressings.   Cups of tea and coffee come around to relieve the waiting. Ya, breakfast is served, no salmon and roe on toast here, yoghurt and cold toast with a pat of butter and jam or vegemite.   More tea or coffee offered in plastic cups, this time lovely and hot, served by hospital volunteers.
Young and old dressed in streetchothes and home pyjamas and dressing gowns, unable to get dressed, unshaven men.
A name is called, we all look, how fortunate that wait is over for them. Patients with anticipation of good results, some already aware of theirs, some not wanting to face the reality of theirs, in the waiting room.
Doctors now doing rounds passed the waiting room. Charts in hand, an entourage of eager minds following behind  listening with intent to their senior.  Big ,soft pretty blue lazy boy chairs are moved into position. Four patients less fortunate than myself move into them. I dream about dinner that evening, a Mild beef and pumpkin red curry, a recipe I have found in a magazine.

Mild beef and Pumpkin Red Curry.   Serves 4.

3 tbsp. oil                   700g braising beef cut into cubes.

1 onion finely chopped   2 tbsp., red curry paste

165 mil coconut milk      1 1/4 cups beef stock

1kg pumpkin peeled and cut into 3cm cubes.

2 tab chopped coriander
Fish sauce and kaffir lime optional.

1.     In a bowl, mix the beef with 2tbsp of the oil until coated.
2.     Heat a large saucepan and brown the meat in batches, set aside.
3.    Add chopped onion to the pan and cook for 5 minutes until soft.
4. Return the beef to the pan, along with the curry paste and cook for 2 minutes . Add coconut milk and stock. Bring to the boil and simmer , loosely cover for an hour.
5. Season with fish sauce and finely chopped kaffir leaves.
5.    Add the chopped pumpkin and cook for 20 minutes .
6. Serve over steamed rice or mashed potato .
This is most enjoyable .  Sorry there is no pic of this, I am still learning to upload/download pictures..