Christmas Cooking in Prison

Every year in Michigan's prisons, a "special" menu is put out for major holidays, including Christmas. The menu is different than the normal chow hall fare--this year the hot dog and beans meal was replaced by the Christmas dinner. The holiday menu included a 4-ounce slice of turkey loaf (think soft turkey roll), 2 ounces of cranberry sauce, cheesy mashed potatoes, green beans, two slices of bread with butter, and a small pumpkin pie square for dessert. 

While this food is somewhat different than normal (especially the cranberry sauce, which is served only twice a year), many men in prison prefer to cook their own holiday feast. In my particular housing unit, 240 men are housed, two people per room. The day room, which has seats for 60 people, also has the only microwaves in the unit--three for 240 people. Holiday cook-ups are not your normal ramen noodle fare though. These are large and complicated menus featuring 1.6 qt. bowls, or homemade cardboard boxes, filled to overflowing with rice, noodles, meat sticks, chili, cheese, chips, pickles, jalapeno peppers, and a host of other possible ingredients in myriad combinations. Some men get especially creative, making lasagna, tuna casserole, tortilla wraps, or other recipes, often developed and passed down from prisoner to prisoner. 

The day room opens at 5:30 AM, and the microwaves remain busy the entire time the unit is open on holidays. Some of the more complicated cook-ups include six to ten men and take more than an hour or two to make. The more courteous men clean up after themselves, while others leave the mess they make for someone else to clean up. Other men, who may not be able to afford the costly ingredients to make their own cook-up, gather around the microwaves, waiting sometimes more than 30 minutes to simply heat water for a cup of coffee or tea. There are two hotpots in the unit, but the steady stream of prisoners using them, frequently to fill cups or bowls they take right to the microwave, means the water in the pots is often not hot enough for a cup of coffee or tea.

This year, I made a special Christmas cook-up, but not on Christmas. I chose a different day to make two "deep dish pizzas," out of pizza crust kits layered with pasta sauce, spreadable cheese, meat sticks, jalapeno peppers, and tortilla shells, to share with a friend. The break from prison chow hall food is nice, but even nicer is the opportunity to share a few moments of fellowship around food with a friend. Of course, in prison it's impossible to get a moment of peace, so we no sooner sat down than our table was surrounded by men who wanted to try our small creation. Our pizzas several bites smaller now, my friend and I still enjoyed each other's company, along with the company of several other uninvited, but friendly, men. After all, even in prison, food is always a good reason to get together with others.