Food to Comfort and Nourish
Monday, September 9, 2013 at 4:01AM 
By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork
Recently, a friend who had a stroke was flown to San Francisco for intensive care. His wife and children, all from out of town, rushed to the hospital to be at his bedside. Since he was in the ICU, only a limited number of people could visit.
In wondering how to show support, I decided to bake up a batch of brownies to take to the hospital for the family. It was a small thing, but I thought something home-baked might provide a measure of comfort.
It seemed to be so appreciated by the family that the next day, I pondered what else I could do. Since there were young grandchildren involved, continuing to bake more sweets didn’t seem like such a good idea. It was Saturday, so Steve and I went to the farmers’ market, where we picked out white peaches, nectarines, crisp champagne grapes and the sweetest organic strawberries. I lined a shallow Costco box with parchment and filled it with pre-washed fruits for Steve to take to the hospital, along with a paring knife and napkins.