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aziz_reads's review against another edition
5.0
So I happen to know a friend who has been to our local county jail a couple of times. You can imagine how awkward it was for me to ask "Hey, can I ask you some things about jail food because this seems kind of crazy."
Fortunately he agreed, and assured me that Ramen Tamales are an actual thing, as are 'nuts to butts'. I also heard a few stories about jail that are pretty much only funny in retrospect, but still good stories.
What I like about this book is that it's not just a recipe book. A prison recipe book with no context is boring. But the authors give us context in the form of a story before every recipe, Yeah, there are also letters and things from a few celebrities, but it doesn't need them. The stories and recipes stand on their own.
Overall: I'm still scared to give it as a gift for fear of being offensive, BUT I will definitely be buying it for a few high school grads I know who have never been to prison but will most likely be living off Ramen for a couple of years.
A big thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review
Fortunately he agreed, and assured me that Ramen Tamales are an actual thing, as are 'nuts to butts'. I also heard a few stories about jail that are pretty much only funny in retrospect, but still good stories.
What I like about this book is that it's not just a recipe book. A prison recipe book with no context is boring. But the authors give us context in the form of a story before every recipe, Yeah, there are also letters and things from a few celebrities, but it doesn't need them. The stories and recipes stand on their own.
Overall: I'm still scared to give it as a gift for fear of being offensive, BUT I will definitely be buying it for a few high school grads I know who have never been to prison but will most likely be living off Ramen for a couple of years.
A big thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review
graventy's review against another edition
3.0
No pictures here, but really, it's all ramen so it'd all pretty much look the same. Instead, we get weird-sounding but probably good tasting recipes using the ready-made cheap ramen squares in new and interesting ways, interspersed with stories about the experience of prison.
amandan_e's review
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
This was solid! I enjoyed it. It has a wide variety of brief stories from various convicts with each accompanied with a ramen recipe. Some don’t sound half bad but others..yuck. Some rough eating behind bars.
voya_k's review against another edition
5.0
Honest and fairly upbeat memoir about prison life told through recipes that you can make from commissary food. If you were completely fascinated by Chang's peacakes in OINTB, this one is for you.
laread's review against another edition
2.0
This was an impulse-read. Intrigued by the premise, I wound up appreciating the honest anecdotes from ex-cons (and some famous folk who were detained) but was grossed out by the recipes. Of course, they have to be creative, but it was all junk on top of junk. A frivolous time spent with a unique book.
ethancf's review against another edition
3.0
Some really interesting stories from a surprising variety of people (Clancy Brown, even!) coupled with recipes for everyone's favorite cheap food. A lot of the recipes are more or less the same (ramen with summer sausage. Ramen with summer sausage and cheese! Ramen with summer sausage and soy sauce!) but that's sort of the point, even if it does get repetitive. It's not so much a book to inspire you to cook as much as it is a book about sharing another aspect of prison life, and it does that very well.
estellabelle92's review against another edition
4.0
I brought this book home since my son is learning to cook, and I want him to be far beyond ramen noodles by the time he gets to college and life on his own.
We both read it (he's 13) and loved it, very eye-opening for both with some very interesting ramen combinations.
We both read it (he's 13) and loved it, very eye-opening for both with some very interesting ramen combinations.
jennyjc's review against another edition
3.0
Fabulous quarantine read; fulfills 2020 Read Harder Challenge by Book Riot.
I never would have read this if it hadn’t been for the challenge. It’s basically a cookbook in which all the recipes are Ramen-based, with narratives from prisoners which explain the recipes’ names. The narratives are engaging - sometimes humorous, sometimes maddening, sometimes heartbreaking. Though it’s very different from what I usually read, I’d recommend it to anyone.
I never would have read this if it hadn’t been for the challenge. It’s basically a cookbook in which all the recipes are Ramen-based, with narratives from prisoners which explain the recipes’ names. The narratives are engaging - sometimes humorous, sometimes maddening, sometimes heartbreaking. Though it’s very different from what I usually read, I’d recommend it to anyone.