May 4, 2015
Is the Food getting Better, or am I Simply Adapting?
When I first arrived at prison, I found the food disgusting. It looked and tasted awful too me. I lost 24 pounds over the last six months. The food we receive has very little protein which results in the loss of muscle mass. (note: You no longer select your diet once you decide to become a federal prisoner!)
Today, I must confess that the food looks and tastes much better. I do not think that the food has changed so I must have adapted to my new environment.
Food is still an issue upon occasion. Last week we had a surprise extra commissary day where everyone could buy ice cream. All of the prisoners were thrilled. I have never seen an extra commissary day during my time in prison. We lined up to purchase our ice cream on a sunny Friday afternoon. There were over 150 people in line. I purchased my ice cream and ate it back in my cube. It was the first ice cream I purchased in prison. It turns out the ice cream was manufactured by Blue Bell Creameries, A large ice cream manufacturer out of Texas. The very next day, the news reported that Blue Bill Creameries was recalling ALL of its ice cream products from it's resellers because Laboratory testing showed that it's ice cream contained the listeria bacteria. Apparently, people had become ill after eating the ice cream and one person even died!
It must have been a coincidence that our commissary had a large special ice cream sale one day prior to the recall announcement of the same ice cream on the news?
The good news is that no one on the compound appears to be sick from eating the ice cream.
The second food related incident involved a large pan of kielbasa that was allegedly dropped on the floor in the serving area at lunch. The food was picked off the floor and returned to the back area of the kitchen. A guy who works in the kitchen claims they simply washed it off and reserved it. Who knows if this really happened or not. Inmates tend to make up and/or exaggerate stories for entertainment purposes. If it did happen, I guess the 5 second rule is alive and well in prison.
Prison: do not come for the food. In fact, simply do not come at all!
Ken Flaska
