I remember the first time we peeked into the Vietnamese restaurant a couple blocks from the main campus of Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital. I was with my son Zack and we were looking for an inviting place for lunch. The narrow yet bright eatery looked clean and welcoming. There was a large “A” sign outside assuring us that the restaurant had aced its inspections, and the menu outside the door offered just what the doctor ordered for both of us.
The place was dotted with people dining and conversing, and the good news was that many of the patrons either looked Asian or wore hospital garb. What a great sign that the food was good!
Zack and I glanced approvingly at each other and decided to give it a try. It was a win. The restaurant became our go-to place to eat every time we went to Sloan. It was like therapy after hours and sometimes days of stressful anticipation, at least for me. Zack never seemed phased by his post-cancer check-ups, but I always worried and often wondered how anyone could survive having a child with cancer without having a relationship with God.
Our meal was usually a late lunch because eating before a CAT scan was not permitted. Sometimes, it happened between the scan and the visit with the doctor, meaning that we often did not know the results of the scans or the bloodwork. After, it became a meal of joyful celebration, and before, I was in my “peace that transcends all understanding” frame of mind.
No matter the situation, we always enjoyed great conversations between bites of spicy deliciousness, whether talking about his college adventures, my job, the Bible, other good books, or happenings around the world.
I always started with a cup of miso soup, followed by some form of chicken curry over rice made with the highest level of heat. Zack began with a Vietnamese wonton soup, followed by either a shrimp or chicken dish with noodles. Sometimes, he would order a soup chock-full of noodles and shrimp or chicken. We have since learned that the dish is called Pho. We both love it now and are eager to try some of the Pho restaurants that have popped up around our neighborhoods.
The first couple of times we were at our special restaurant, we eyed the food every time a waiter came out to serve someone else, attempting to get an idea of something we could try. We also discreetly looked at what other customers ate. But that soon became unnecessary.
Eating at the restaurant became our ritual every time we took the many stressful check-up trips into the city. One time, Luisa, Zack’s younger sister, came with us but wanted nothing to do with eating there. She convinced us to let her eat alone at the Irish Pub a few doors down. I reluctantly agreed, not feeling bad enough to give up the Vietnamese fare.
A half dozen years after Zack’s diagnosis, I was treated for cancer. Zack was living in Dallas at the time and flew to New York to surprise and support me. I was too weak upon release from surgery to head over to our restaurant, but a couple of weeks later, when I learned I needed a second, less intense surgery, I convinced my husband to walk me the few blocks after my outpatient procedure so we could eat at the Vietnamese restaurant. I was pretty weak, and it was a very slow stroll. I must have looked like I escaped from the hospital, but I was determined. My spicy curry was delicious. Kevin, my husband, would have preferred the Irish Pub, like our daughter, but he endured.
We’ve since moved away, and our few and far-between check-ups happen in another state. I’m not sure if our special place still exists. The funny thing is that we don’t even remember its name or if we ever knew it.
But memories of our special meals will be forever etched on my heart, reminding me of God’s goodness and faithfulness. During those good, bad, and stressful times, God was always sitting at the table with us, and I am eternally grateful.
Regina Marcazzo-Skarka is a writer, journalist, and lover of travel and foreign languages. But, most importantly, she loves Jesus and her family. She is married and has two married children and two precious grandchildren. You can visit her on Instagram and her website.
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