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Having been vegetarian for years, and having suffered through high school, college and Alabama on a meat-free diet, I’m pretty aware of how hard it is to eat well as a vegetarian. There’s a lot of dining on fries when your pals want fast food, and a lot of forcing down plates of boiled vegetables when you’re pressured to go to a steak house. In any case, of all the places I’ve heard of where vegetarian food is scarce (Mongolia, Australia, Arby’s), I always imagined prison was the worst. Amazingly, though, PETA has changed my mind. If you’re a vegetarian or vegan prisoner looking into incarceration options, you might want to consider one of their Top 10 Veggie-Friendly Prisons. Idaho stands at the top of the list with offerings like vegan Mexican pies, lentil shepherd’s pies, vegan biscuits, cookies, and even puddings. Other veggie standouts include cafeterias in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Georgia, New Hampshire and Utah. Who knew? In any case, Idaho prison spokesman have gone out of their way to assure the public that while there’s definitely some good variety, no one within the system is raving about the food. According to spokesman Jeff Ray, “I haven’t heard any compliments, and I would think there’s probably not a lot of compliments going around about prison food… When the meals cost 90 cents each, you can’t do much with that.” Click here to see PETA’s full list.
Comments (10)
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I am so glad to hear that prisoners are eating well with a good variety of vegetarian foods.
Tell me what is wrong with giving every prisoner 3 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every day, animal free, kosher, and cheap!
posted by Witty Nickname on 12-26-2007 at 2:19 pm
What, they’re not getting enough attention with nudity and other lame stunts? Jailers paid with tax dollars now have to fill out questionnaires about their menus?
There’s always a vegan option–bread and water. Any takers?
posted by Tom on 12-26-2007 at 2:38 pm
Ugh, I never trust anything from the Cult of PETA, even rather innocuous little fact nuggets like this. Other animal non-profits, sure, but PETA just has this creepy anti-human agenda.
posted by Christian on 12-26-2007 at 3:02 pm
Hey, I respect people for their diet choices.
But somehow I feel that diet is probably not one’s main concern while in prison…
posted by Katherine on 12-26-2007 at 4:25 pm
Wow..Just wow. This is what concerns PETA? If convicted felons, living off of our tax dollars, are being given the option of a meat-free diet?
posted by Mark Hoffman on 12-26-2007 at 5:49 pm
Yes! Finally, someone concerned about vegetarians! Being vegetarian since birth hasn’t been easy at all while living in America. Luckily, one of my friends is a vegetarian, so she always knows where and where not to dine. Yay PETA for organizing vegetarian friendly choices!
posted by Ash on 12-26-2007 at 7:06 pm
You would feel differently if someone you loved were in prison… This is great… maybe I should go commit a crime? I’m REALLY getting sick of these ill-conceived “vegetarian” choices in the MidWorst…
posted by Renee on 12-26-2007 at 8:01 pm
Just because you’re in prison doesn’t mean you don’t have anti-meat-eating principles. Not everyone is in prison for heinous crimes.
Also, it is cheaper, I’m sure, for prisons to pay for nutritious food for prisoners than it would be to care for malnutrition and it’s associated ills. Especially for someone who has not eaten meat or animal byproducts for many years, diet IS important, since suddenly eating meat again can make you very sick.
Finally, Peta can seem crazy and “anti-human” but that doesn’t mean they lie about everything, and it doesn’t mean their goals are not worthwhile.
All in all, way to go prisons in my home state (PA) and my adopted state (MA)!
posted by leofishy on 12-26-2007 at 11:32 pm
@#8, leofishy
I understand that peta may not lie about absolutely everything, but any news source that pushes lies, misinformation and mindless propaganda as often as they do quickly ceases to be a reputable news source in my eyes. If CNN was found to be taking bribes from presidential candidates in exchange for running stories that make them look good and their opponents look bad then we would quickly discredit every facet of CNN, we wouldn’t say “Just ignore their political news, but the rest is great.”
They would no longer be trusted for anything.
If, say, the Doris Day Animal League put out this report I’d take it more seriously.
posted by Christian on 12-27-2007 at 8:19 am
I tend to take everything PETA says with several grains of salt…they have in the past adopted every animal from a shelter(for publicity) and then killed them and dumped the bodies in dumpsters. Seriously. In NH, several of their activists strung piano wire across snowmobile trails to decapitate riders, because they claimed they were disturbing the local animals. These are not humane acts by sane thinkers. Yes, I realize not every one in PETA is a kook, but as an organization they condoned the above actions. Disturbing at best.
posted by Andrew on 12-27-2007 at 9:24 am