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[XiaNaphryz]

Ramen is displacing tobacco as most popular US prison currency, study finds:

Ramen noodles are overtaking tobacco as the most popular currency in US prisons, according a new study released on Monday.

A new report by Michael Gibson-Light, a doctoral candidate in the University of Arizona’s school of sociology, found the decline in quality and quantity of food available in prisons due to cost-cutting has made ramen noodles a valuable commodity.

“[Ramen] is easy to get and it’s high in calories,” Gibson-Light said. “A lot of them, they spend their days working and exercising and they don’t have enough energy to do these things. From there it became more a story, why ramen in particular.”

Gibson-Light interviewed close to 60 inmates over the course of a year at one state prison as part of a wider study on prison labor. He did not identify the prison to protect the confidentiality of the inmates.

He found that the instant soup has surpassed tobacco as the most prized currency at the prison. He also analyzed other nationwide investigations that he says found a trend towards using ramen noodles in exchanges.

“One way or another, everything in prison is about money,” one soft-spoken prisoner named Rogers said in the report. “Soup is money in here. It’s sad but true.”

Ramen noodles have long been known to be a popular dish in prisons. Gustavo “Goose” Alvarez, who spent more than a decade incarcerated on a weapons charge, wrote a book on its popularity, Prison Ramen: Recipes and Stories From Behind Bars.

He was inspired to write the book after a race riot in 2009 led to a standoff between a group of Hispanic and African American inmates. An older inmate quelled the dispute and the two groups resolved the tensions by cooking a feast together, largely with ramen noodles.

The book, released last year, includes several recipes such as Ramen Tamale, using Doritos, canned pork and beans, and ramen. It recommends mixing strawberry jelly with soy sauce to make teriyaki, to go with Cheesy Meat Tacos. The book also includes the favorite ramen recipes of celebrities such as Shia LeBeouf and Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash.

At the prison from the study, ramen cost 59 cents at the commissary but would be exchanged for items worth more in value. For instance, a sweatshirt – worth $10.81 – can be bought for two packs of ramen. Five tailor-made cigarettes – worth $2.00 – can be bought for one pack of ramen. Acquiring fresh vegetables to cook with was extremely highly regarded, Gibson-Light said. Inmates would use ramen to buy onions or zucchinis stolen from the kitchen.

Others cleaned inmates’ bunks for one pack of ramen – referred to as soup – a week, or did laundry or gambled with it.

It can get dangerous when ramen is purchased at illegal inmate stores, as customers often purchase items on credit. Failure to pay back debts can result in fights or worse.

“I’ve seen fights over ramen,” one inmate said. “People get killed over soup.”

Gibson-Light explained that forms of currencies only change in extreme circumstances.

“[Money] doesn’t change unless there’s some drastic change to the value in people using it,” he said. The shift from tobacco to ramen highlights how dire the nutritional standards at prisons has become, he added.

 

[Count Dookkake]

Hot soup, mother fucker!

 

[Media]

That is so fucking depressing. Prison food is so bad that fucking Ramen is a highly prized and sought after alternative. Fuck we need to reform our prison systems.

 

[YianGaruga]

includes several recipes such as Ramen Tamale, using Doritos

I tried making this out of curiosity after it was posted somewhere

It's pretty disgusting

 

[AetherZX]

Eat your hamburgers, Convict-kun.

 

[Rur0ni]

Can confirm.

 

[bigkrev]

As someone who loves Ramen and has a fascination (obsession?) with prisons, I'm so happy that book exists

Also, 59 cents is a much smaller mark-up than I was expecting. If you are buying individual packets, you will find food stores that sell Ramen for more money than that.

 

[jiggle]

I thought they are low in calories!?!!? D:

 

[BlueTsunami]

https://youtu.be/NFdDH9UfmiA

 

[HiiiLife]

Do it for senpai

 

[Nudull]

The Dark Side of Ichiraku, Revealed!

 

[excelsiorlef]

So I guess maybe we can start sending white athlete rapists to prison after all

Spoiler

I mean since the whole point of giving them probation is so they can have a college experience.

 

[perfectchaos007]

Can confirm.

I've never been to prison, but I can also confirm based on testimony of multiple prisoners I sat by on a Greyhound bus that this is the case. They make a lot of spreads with ramen

 

[jdstorm]

You just know that there's one rich prisoner who's using that ramen to make Pizza. Then rubbing it in everyone's faces

 

[RDreamer]

Jesus christ that books sounds amazingly weird. Favorite ramen recipes by Shia Leboeuf and Slash plus a foreword by Samuel L Jackson? Who comes up with this shit.

 

[TAJ]

I thought they are low in calories!?!!? D:

Pasta is always a mistake if you need to lose weight.

 

[Line_HTX]

What better way to get ripped everyday with nothing else to do but work out and eat ramen, lol

 

[BlueTsunami]

Nothing like cooking up two ramen packs and going to town. One never feels enough. Aslo poach an egg or two. I can understand it.

What better way to get ripped everyday with nothing else to do but work out and eat ramen, lol

Carbs + calories. Not sure where they're getting their protein but something is working with how some of these dudes leave totally yolked.

 

[Jeffrey]

Pasta is always a mistake if you need to lose weight.

yep... found this really good mac and cheese place near work

 

[.JayZii]

Hmm, that's interesting.

I had "prison ramen" in college, which was when people in my dorm added a Kraft American cheese single to their ramen and made it into a weird sloppy mac and cheese.

 

[Dynomutt]

Shrimp=$5
Beef=$10
Chicken=$20
Roast/Picante=$50
Creamy Chicken or Cheddar Cheese=$100

Holla at me. 5 for 4 all day. Let me if you need party packs.

Got Tapatio packets on deck.

Ya boy Munches a.k.a Grub King a.k.a. Mr. Bodega.

 

[PantherLotus]

My aunt used to crunch it up in the package AND drain off the liquid before serving it. I've never seen it served in a worse way, EVER.

I'm still fucking mad about it.

 

[Super Nothing]

I don't know how it works in other states, but here the local Sheriff gets paid a flat rate for prisoner meals based on the total number of inmates he has in his jail each month. That money goes directly to the Sheriff and belongs to him personally. So, effectively, it's financially beneficial for the Sheriff to feed the prisoners as cheaply as possible. The less the Sheriff spends on feeding the prisoners, the more money he gets to keep. He's basically profiting off of the inmates' malnutrition.

 

[Snowybreak]

Momofuku Ando once said: "Ramen will not only nourish the soul, but act as a currency for buying some of White Power Bill's toilet sangria."

 

[Blargonaut]

1 Neoguri Spicy Seafood Udon has to be worth at least 5 Shin Ramyun, and at least 7 to 8 generic cup noodle, if their economy is balanced right

 

[Dalek]

 

[Korigama]

Having never heard of this development before, I must say that I find it rather fascinating. The book mentioned also sounds like it would make for an interesting read.

 

[Rembrandt]

Can't wait for the buzzfeed article on how spread is a hidden gem.

 

[Brakke]

Thanks for posting this. I expected it was going to be about how tobacco use is declining so inmates just don't want smokes, I didn't consider it'd be coming from the other side.

So I guess maybe we can start sending white athlete rapists to prison after all

Spoiler

I mean since the whole point of giving them probation is so they can have a college experience.

Wow so topical.

 

[Yaphett Kotto]

My cousin told me how they made nacho ramen in prison. Shit looked mad good.

 

[Wag]

I don't want to know how they smuggle that ramen in...

 

[rekameohs]

In California they switched it to burgers

 

[crackhead_bob]

I used to eat ramen noodles raw. They were cheap and crunchy. Not hard like raw Italian pasta noodles, either.

I don't want to know how they smuggle that ramen in...

I have to assume that Ramen noodles are part of the prison commissary, so they're probably smuggled through kitchen staff.

 

[bloodforge]

My aunt used to crunch it up in the package AND drain off the liquid before serving it. I've never seen it served in a worse way, EVER.

I'm still fucking mad about it.

My brother does this. I gave up trying to get him to eat it properly.

 

[God Dayumm]

I don't want to know how they smuggle that ramen in...

Cooked I hope. Don't want the noodles to break when sitting down

 

[O Canada Our Home and Native Land]

Prisons not properly feeding inmates. Fucking hell this should be embarrassing for Americans.

 

[Tinfoilhatsron]

I don't want to know how they smuggle that ramen in...

Uh they can buy from/bribe the kitchen staff/canteen in the prison. Also now they have cellphones with chips to do this shit.

Read the motherjones article. Eye opening.

Also I was wondering why it took so long to be honest, lol. Smokes are expensive and so easily traceable. Kinda fucked up that ramen is getting inflated due to the regular prison food...

 

[Jabo]

Kinda off topic but there's this joint here that serves Tomato and Eggs ramen and its soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo fucking good

 

[Subpar Scrub]

My aunt used to crunch it up in the package AND drain off the liquid before serving it. I've never seen it served in a worse way, EVER.

I'm still fucking mad about it.

That's what I do. Fight me.

So I guess maybe we can start sending white athlete rapists to prison after all

Spoiler

I mean since the whole point of giving them probation is so they can have a college experience.

If you want to discuss that, there's a thread for it already. In fact, I remember seeing you post in it. How odd...

 

[Korey]

Here's a tip for the bagged ramen:

1. Put the brick in a zip lock bag
2. Open the seasoning packet and dump it in the zip lock
3. Zip it and smash it til the noodles are in little pieces and shake to spread the seasoning
4. Eat for a light crunchy, salty snack!

 

[Fracas]

Here's a tip for the bagged ramen:

1. Put the brick in a zip lock bag
2. Open the seasoning packet and dump it in the zip lock
3. Zip it and smash it til the noodles are in little pieces and shake to spread the seasoning
4. Eat for a light crunchy, salty snack!

God is dead

 

[NobleGundam]

In California they switched it to burgers

 

[Blargonaut]

Here's a tip for the bagged ramen:

1. Put the brick in a zip lock bag
2. Open the seasoning packet and dump it in the zip lock
3. Zip it and smash it til the noodles are in little pieces and shake to spread the seasoning
4. Eat for a light crunchy, salty snack!

The intelligent use of fire is what separates humanity from animals

 

[lazybones18]

if Naruto ever went to prison....

 

[adamsappel]

I'm all for prison reform, but prisoners can cook in their cells?

 

[Alx]

I'm all for prison reform, but prisoners can cook in their cells?

All you need is hot water, I suppose they can get that.

 

[Blackpanther25]

Hahaha I remember my brother and I smuggled boxes of ramen in our boarding school and flipped it for large profit cause the food sucked.

I'm not surprised.

 

[Daft Bird]

I'm all for prison reform, but prisoners can cook in their cells?

Some prisons even have Netflix.

 

[Qvoth]

This settles the debate then, Japanese instant noodle > Korean ones

 

[adamsappel]

Some prisons even have Netflix.

I'm not against creature comforts, I just found it odd that prisoners would have access to cooking. Although I wouldn't mind television being restricted to educational programs.