An English blogger and patient who goes by the name ‘Traction Man’ has been cooped up in an NHS hospital for over six months. His disgust with the quality of the food inspired him to initiate Hospital Food Bingo where he posts photos of the meals online and asks people to guess what they are.

An article on The Guardian website lists some of his critiques, including: “It is beyond even my fertile imagination to identify what the potatoes had been sautéed in, but my best guess would be a bedpan” and “In my case it was southern Ethiopia. Never have I seen such scrawny and aged chicken. There was more stick than drum”.

It’s always refreshing to see a blogger tackle a serious issue with a sense of humour, and it will be interesting to keep an eye on the responses and coverage which Notes from a Hospital Bed receives. Another point worth noting is that he has not identified the name of the hospital, saying the treatment itself has been “outstanding” and the medical staff “superb”.

What are your thoughts about this blogging technique? Can you think of similar examples in South Africa?