Meal train anxiety and so much gratitude

People all over the world, join hands, form a meal train, meal train . . . [READER]( One day last week my wife went under the knife, as they say. Three hours of surgery. That’s the bad news. The good news is that the operation was a success and she’s on the mend. Taking it slow but easy. So, yes, to all of you who knew, thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers and good vibrations.[[Illustration of Ben Joravsky]]( Now, here’s the thing . . . Who’s gonna cook? I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking—typical man! His wife had surgery and all he can think about is what he’s gonna eat! I can’t argue with that response. Except to say this . . . Clearly, you’ve never had to eat a meal I’ve prepared. When they were young, my children did plenty of that on nights when my wife was working. After a few of my meals, they’d say, "You know, Dad, there’s a Subway right down the street . . .” In fact, it was with that understanding that my kids—all grown—told me not to fear. They were gonna set up a meal train. Folks, I must confess, until they said that, I’d never heard of a meal train. I thought they were talking about "[Love Train.]( One of the greatest songs ever! You know, the one that goes, ”People all over the world, join hands, form a love train, love train . . .” But, no, it’s this app thing that enables my kids to send a message to their friends saying, "Help! My father is pathetic. So please bail him out." No, their actual message was: “Our mom is the cook of the house and our dad—well, he just isn’t. But he is really great at other things.” They sent out that plea and to my overwhelming gratification—thank you, again—many friends responded. And we were showered with offers to make meals. This brought on a new phenomenon—meal train anxiety. As in, what do you do if the people who sign up to make you a meal, forget to make you that meal? Do you call them up and say, “Uh, about that meal you promised?” Or do you just pretend like the whole thing never happened and order a pizza? And so, as the meal train kicked in, I’d spend the days counting down the minutes to dinner, making declarations like . . . “She’s gonna forget—you just watch.” To which my sister-in-law would respond: “How do you know?” Oh, yes, forget to mention—my sister-in-law came to town to help us out. What up, Patti! Back to the riveting dialogue . . . “I just know,” I’d say. And then I’d walk onto the porch and what would I see? A bag filled with food and a lovely note! I felt like Sally Fields at the Oscars . . . “You like me. You like me. You really like me!” So far, the meals have been excellent. If I were grading them, it would be: Eduardo and Lois’s garlic mashed potatoes—A! Anne’s chicken soup—A! Linda’s ravioli—A! Sharon’s eggplant parmesan—A! Next up is, hold on while I check the meal-train list . . . Chris! Uh-oh. Anxiety kicking in. Chris is one of the smartest guys I know. One of the few people in Chicago who knows of Baker Mayfield and Delmore Schwartz. But can he cook? No pressure, Chris. I’ve got nothing but confidence in you. People all over the world, join hands, form a meal train, meal train . . . [Ben Joravsky [signature]]( Chicago Reader's 50th anniversary giveaway Give a little, Get a lot We're in the final week of the Reader's 50-day prize giveaway! Dozens of readers have already won, and it's not too late to enter. Today we're giving away a $50 gift card to [Chopping Block]( for virtual cooking classes! Feed your appetite for learning with The Chopping Block. In addition to regular member perks and benefits, all members of the Chicago Reader's Reader Revolution membership program are automatically entered to win for the entire giveaway. [Become a member]( Memoirs by Tennessee Williams—I never realized the man was so funny. 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