PETA Goes to Prison (and ranks their food)

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.