Bring Me White Castles

A true travel food story from 1982

Food is serious stuff in my family. Dad is not feeling well. I keep hearing him get up in the middle of the night, going to the bathroom. After my bedtime snack and during our nighttime talk, he tells me he needs to have a minor surgery. And, asks if I will drive him to the Hospital. Of course I will. Then I sit there stunned as scary questions float in my teenage mind. What is minor surgery? What is going on and is he going to be ok? Why? When? OMG

As if he can see the swirl of storms in my mind, he calmly explains what the problem is. He can't stop going the bathroom - its a prostate thing that needs to be removed. I just thought he was drinking too much water at night. Dad said he'd pack his overnight bag in advance so we could be ready to leave Saturday afternoon.

Friday night I could hardly sleep. I tossed and turned. I just wished I was at my fast food job at KFC and bringing him leftovers from when I closed the restaurant at night. Food that he always stayed up for, waiting at the kitchen table while watching the little black and white tv, while I walked home around 9:30pm from Western Avenue. And that everything would be like a normal Friday/Saturday.

He handed me the car keys and tagged along behind me with his bag and a towel. I got in the drivers seat and started the engine as he put his bag in the backseat and got in the front seat with his towel.

Me:  "Dad, the Hospital has their own towels. Do you not want Hospital cooties?"

Dad: "It’s in case I have an accident."

16 yr old Me: "Uh, Ok."

As I got to the on-ramp for I-57 towards downtown Chicago, I started getting shaky. I hate being sick and I hate going to Hospitals and I don't know how I'm going to handle this. So, I try to lighten things up by saying

Me: "Hey, at least we can go for a nice ride along the Lake!"

Dad smiled.

I did the speed limit from 127th to around 59th St, when the evil prostate made itself known. Dad started squirming like a little kid that had to go to the bathroom.

Me: "Hey, are you ok?"

Dad: "I have to pee..I can't stop it. Oh no!"

Me: "Do you want me to pull over and find a gas station bathroom?"

Dad: "No, I'll never make it. Just drive faster!"

Pedal to the metal...59th Street to 33rd and Lake Shore Drive. The Lake and boats were a blur as I sped to the valet entrance of Michael Reese Hospital. I pulled up, shifted to park, and helped Dad out of the car. A nurse saw us and brought out a wheelchair. She asked what was wrong and he was embarassed to say. I said he needs to get to the bathroom and can you please get him situated while I find a parking place.

I watched as she wheeled him into the building as cool winds whipped off the lake and leaves swirled around my feet, and I felt like throwing up from stress. I found a parking spot with a great view of Lake Michigan, then went in. Once he was admitted, I stayed as long as I could till they told me I had to leave. As they wheeled him to his room, I hugged and kissed him goodbye then saw tears in his eyes. I'm 16. I'm not good with Goodbye's.

I sat in the car lost and looking at the Lake. So blue, so peaceful. Then drove home crying a rainstorm of tears all the way, went to bed, and curled up in a ball. I did not even want dinner.

The next day Dad had surgery and I called afterwards to check on him. A nurse said he was fine but resting. The day after that, I called and the nurse said he was sleeping so I left message that his daughter called and wanted to visit. He called me when he woke up.

Dad: "Are you coming up here today?"

Me: "Yes, I called but you were sleeping. Didn't they tell you I called?"

Dad: "I saw a note but didn't know what day it was from."

Me: "I've been calling every day. Are you feeling ok?"

Dad: "I'm hungry. When are you going to get here?"

Me: "Are they not feeding you?"

Dad: "I got some plate of bland...stuff...and Jello. I never want to see Jello again."

Me: "Well, ya know, sometimes you're not supposed to be eating heavy foods after surgery...."

Dad: "I'm fine. I want to eat. They're starving me here. BRING ME WHITE CASTLES."

Me: "Really?"

Dad: "Yeah. But you're gonna have to sneak it in"

Me: "What?"

Dad: "They don't allow outside food in the Hospital..some crazy rule."

Me: "What if I get caught?"

Dad: "Sneak it in!"

Me: "I will just say I brought my Dinner with me, from that long drive."

Dad: "Just walk in, hide it under your jacket or something and hurry up."

Me: "Like just drive faster!?"

Dad: "Yes"

Me: "Ok"

Me: "Do you want the hamburgers or cheeseburgers?"

Dad: "Hamburgers"

Me: "With extra pickles like we always get?"

Dad: "Yes"

Me: "And the squeezy mustard packs?"

Dad: "Yes"

Me: "I'll be there in within an hour."

Dad: “Can you bring the Sunday paper?”

Me: “Yes, Dad,”

I put on new jeans, a cute top, brush my blond hair and put on makeup so nobody sees how much I cried and how tired I really am. I then think about how I’m going to sneak a sack of White Castles into the Hospital. I can’t hide them in my purse. I cant hide them under my top. I try on several jackets and go in the kitchen finding a big bag of Jay's potato chips, and see if I can hide it. 20 minutes later I have found the perfect snack hiding jacket, put on my electric blue stripe Nike’s, and I’m out the door.

I drive over the bridge into Blue Island, IL to White Castle drive thru. Too many cars in line so I park and go in. It is another chilly, windy day, and standing by the stainless steel counter, I feel the warmth of the stainless steel grills and watch burgers being born behind the glass counter. I order 6 hamburgers with extra pickles and packets of mustard.

I put the bag of hamburgers on the passenger seat of the car and take off for the Interstate.

Arriving at the Hospital I drive round and round because there are no parking spots. The food is getting cold. I find a spot 2 blocks away, grab the hamburgers and walk into wicked winds.

Near the entrance I turn around and hide the hamburger bag under my jacket. I look like I’m pregnant. I squish the bag down so its not so obvious. I look thru the doors and see the elevators, and try to time my entrance so I can get right into the elevator without having to lurk in the lobby. I see triangle shaped lights going down to main level and I walk in fast. In the elevator I push close door, close door. A woman appears out of nowhere pushing her hand to stop the door from closing and I keep pushing close door. She gets in. She gives me a dirty look. Then I hear her sniffing. I see her looking around. I am trying not to laugh. I stand there like a deer in the headlights, hoping the hamburgers don’t fall out of my jacket and I’m busted. The elevator is bouncing and I can hear the paper bag making crunching noises. I pull my purse in front of my stomach and hold my arms over it, like I’m having a stomach ache. She asks if I'm ok, I tell her I have a bad stomach ache, then she says the emergency room is on first level why am I going upstairs? I see her face out of the corner of my eye, she’s looking at me and I’m scared she’ll figure out my snack secret. I’m not good with drama or pretending things. I hope she gets off on another floor. At my stop she’s still there. I say “you can go first” she walks right, I go left. I hurry down the hallway like a squirrel with nuts to Dad’s room.

Dad is sitting in bed half asleep with a ball game on tv. I wake him up and he says “Hi, did you bring the food?” I tell him I almost got busted in the elevator, so hurry up and eat the evidence. I pull the bag out of my jacket and he smiles. I plop the bag in bed with him, he looks in the bag, grabs one and starts eating. I take one too, and move a chair by the window so I can see the Lake. He eats a second one. I’m on my last bite and he’s biting into his 2^nd hamburger when I hear footsteps in the room. I point to the bag and Dad tries to hide it under the cover. I see a hand open the curtain divider, like in the Wizard of Oz.  A Nurse walks in and yells, “Mr G!” We are caught eating.

It was the lady who was in the elevator with me! She said she was arriving to work and smelled something so she followed the scent to the room then said “I thought I was going out of my mind smelling White Castles in the elevator!”

I told her I had a 30 minute drive from home to Hospital so I brought dinner on the road with me. Nurse said “yes and I see you brought dinner for your Dad too. And he’s not supposed to be eating that stuff!” I asked her if she’d like one and she laughed and said no, and that this was actually funny.

Then she said Dad must obviously be feeling better and ready to go home tomorrow. We all laughed and Nurse asked what else I sneaked in and I said “just the Sunday paper.”

She left the room, closed the door, Dad and I had fun and ate all the hamburgers, and talked till he fell asleep. 

Soon it was dark outside. I could only see streaks of light from cars on Lake Shore Drive, and ghostly white sails of boats floating in the evening mist. I wished I could sail away and be a carefree teenager. I was growing up too fast. Hospital announced visiting hours were over and guests need to leave the building.

Time to get back on the road.