About six months ago, I wrote about how a friend-of-a-friend is in prison, and how harrowing it all looks to me, as an outsider.
Fortunately, it’s not all hellish, according to John Mandala of The Cellblock Cafe:
Eventually, I learned these “tricks of the trade,” and added my own creations, such as shredded fried roast beef with ketchup and mustard or fried mashed potatoes in butter. Within a few months, I was nicknamed, “Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee.” I soon realized that creating and sharing a tasty, nourishing meal was one of the few enjoyments prison life offered. Surprisingly, I began to experience another kind of nourishment, one of the soul. Creative cooking opened up an avenue of communication, which transcended prison politics, and a healthy meal crossed most cultural barriers as well.
More than a decade later, as a result of good behavior and other accomplishments in prison programs, I am now at Sing Sing Correctional Facilities medium security annex. I share a single stove with 75 men who are Jamaican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Asian, African-American, Italian and Caucasian. This experience has allowed me to be exposed to different cooking methods, recipes and to taste various types of food.
Without further ado, here are the prison recipes.