How to Cook in Prison.
It takes a whole lot of talent and heart to create great food on death row.
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Great inventitive cookbooks written by a great inventive chef should be widely read even if the chef is a convicted murderer.
I learned about Albert “Ru-Al” Jones and his self-published cookbooks in an article in The New York Times. He has written two cookbooks, in addition to nine non-fiction books that examine what living on death row is like. The story was about the controversy caused by a bookseller’s offer of Jones’ original manuscripts, research, private journals, and drawings for $80,000. Last year the library of University of California, Berkeley paid $20,000 for the manuscript of his second cookbook, Our Last Meal? 25 Years San Quentin Death Row Cookbook. The family of the couple he was convicted of murdering has objected to him earning any profit from the sale of his work even though his books are not about his crime. (Jones has always said that he was falsely accused.) Instead, his books offer a rare look into what life is like for the 2,100 men and women who are currently condemned to death in our country. The bookseller puts forth that, for this reason alone, Jones’ archive is of great scholarly worth.
It’s a complicated and, for both parties, a heartbreaking issue. I can see merits on both sides of the arguments. So I bought one of Jones’ cookbooks. I wanted to know what it offers readers that couldn’t be found anywhere else.
Prison cooking is terrible. Meals taste bad and are rarely healthy. But Jones’ mother was a great cook. She taught him ingenious ways to turn meager, bland ingredients filling and tasty.
We never had any missed meals cramps, when we was low on food she would make rice sugar and milk with two hot dogs that was our “Poor Meals”. We love that meal which we didn’t get a lot because our shelves was always full. I thank you mama (Christian Jones) for the love of food. [sic] —Albert “Ru-Al” Jones.
Jones has to rely on what he scrounges from the two cafeteria meals and bag lunch he is given every day. Breakfasts are the most plentiful and varied. He is able to gather pretty good cinnamon rolls, waffles, jams, bacon, breakfast sausages, cereal, oatmeal, milk, bread, crackers, and fruit. Lunch and dinner offer a bit of protein from baloney, hot dogs, chopped beef, and chicken nuggets. He also gathers chopped onions, lettuce, cheese, carrots and radishes (a favorite); and condiment packages of mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, barbeque and hot sauces.
The prison’s commissary, vending machines, and, if you’re lucky, family care-packages are a boon. Every kind of Ramen noodles are in demand. Then comes instant soups, taco shells, burritos wraps, and dried pasta. Pouches of fish and Spam and jars of cocktail hot dogs round things out. KoolAid is in constant demand and there’s no such thing as a bad flavor.
The problem, as Jones points out in his introduction, is all this food tends to have a high sodium count. 80 percent of prisoners have high blood pressure, including Jones. The flavor packs that come with Ramen noodles should come with a health warning. The pack of chicken-flavored Ramens I bought contains 1590 mg of salt—69 percent of recommended daily intake. Jones counteracts this in his many Ramen noodle dishes by using only half the flavor packet or spices.
Too much sugar is also a problem—diabetes is rampant. Over the last decade, San Quentin has incorporated more fresh vegetables and fruits into the daily meals, giving Jones access to a wider choice of greens and fruits. Loose sugar is no longer available, which both improves prisoners’ health and stops them from brewing liquor (pruno).
Jones recipes are usually comprised of no more than eight ingredients. He often incorporates crackers to make the dishes more filling. Pinches of dried herbs, especially red chili flakes, give the processed meat and fish a little zing. His cooking employs the scant equipment available in the unit’s common area, which is closely monitored by guards. Boiling water in a microwave is the main method, followed by a hotplate for use of a frying pan.
I spent the day working my way through a couple of Jones’ recipes and was impressed at how subtly flavorful the food is. This is not a cookbook I’ll look to everyday but it’d be very useful when planning meals for hiking and camping trips—the few ingredients travel well and require little fuss.
What I find most valuable about Jones’ book is the same thing I discover in all good cookbooks: affirmation of the importance of food for increasing joy and companionship. Even in one of the most dire situations, Jones’ recipes bring out the best of what a cook has to offer.
Momma always made sure that everytime we sat at the dinner table to eat we say grace and I have not ate one meal without saying grace.
“Lord Thank You for this meal I just received, bless them that don’t have nothing to eat but keep their stomach humble until their time to eat, in Jesus name, “Jesus Wept.”
Hear more from Albert about his life in an interview posted on Spodify.
I credit Robert Oliva’s newsletter, Vitality Vibes, as one of the top reasons why on most days you will find me fairly healthy and strong. Robert offers sound, scientifically supported advice and techniques that go a long way to supporting mental and physical health. He’s also good company, empathetic and fun to read. A fine exmple is a recent post that highlights three simple recipes that support your mental and physical health. Enjoy!
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Very thought provoking post Pat. Thank you for drawing our attention to Albert Jones and prison cooking in general! You bring up an interesting idea about how some of the recipes could be helpful for hikers. I might add for traveling in general.
Also found the link to Vitality Vibes right up my alley, so to speak! I quite like both Quinoa and Chickpeas. They both have a pleasant flavor and are easy to prepare and to have on hand. The recipes at Vitality Vibes look delicious. Thanks for the link!
This is fascinating. This type of cooking would work for all "incarcerated" people, like kids in college or the elderly in retirement homes. We learned to make something from almost nothing when we lived in Moldova & Ukraine. Luckily I had brought popcorn kernels with me for a special meal! Some locals tried to plant them & were in total awe when they popped. 😊