Why ramen is so valuable in prison

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  • čas přidán 13. 11. 2018
  • Instant ramen noodles have become like cash among inmates in the US.
    Become a member of the Vox Video Lab! bit.ly/video-lab
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    Cash is illegal in prisons. And that means everything from tuna to stamps to cigarettes have their own unique value in a trade and barter market.
    But ramen has quickly taken over as the most in demand products the prison system offers.
    Watch this video to see how ramen took over prison economies and why it’s the default item for trade among inmates.
    The Goods by Vox explains what we buy, why we buy it, and why it matters.
    Watch the rest of The Goods videos on CZcams: bit.ly/2PvjHCB
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Komentáře • 10K

  • @Vox
    @Vox  Před 5 lety +3481

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    Thanks for watching!

    • @rpk675
      @rpk675 Před 5 lety +7

      Hm

    • @Vernardo
      @Vernardo Před 5 lety +2

      Won't joined here unless if there was VOX Video Lab outside United States!

    • @iwansays
      @iwansays Před 5 lety +2

      Sponsored by NISSIN.

    • @hussplayz4002
      @hussplayz4002 Před 5 lety +1

      I'm the 500th like thank me later

    • @mrrooster397
      @mrrooster397 Před 5 lety +3

      Man would it be nice if they had the after prison show

  • @poouvfe7439
    @poouvfe7439 Před 4 lety +23167

    "Inmates aren't just using ramen as cash, their eating it"
    *Suprised pikachu face*

    • @shadowios7033
      @shadowios7033 Před 4 lety +447

      Noodles Nummy *they’re. “Their”, is possession bro I mean come on.

    • @Lemonsrt
      @Lemonsrt Před 4 lety +76

      That’s just paying for food with less steps!

    • @xanhede5657
      @xanhede5657 Před 4 lety +132

      They're eating it!? No way!! xD

    • @nomoresmores
      @nomoresmores Před 4 lety +53

      it's they're not "their", they're means they are

    • @mamothgaming
      @mamothgaming Před 4 lety +5

      Johann Alyosha Van Tassel impossible

  • @totallynotarobot9622
    @totallynotarobot9622 Před 5 lety +30349

    *Gets stabbed*
    Me:why did you stab me?
    Guy:you had a 10 ramen bounty

  • @thatyellowmenace9324
    @thatyellowmenace9324 Před 3 lety +5681

    "Ramen is like cash in America prison"
    Me: *looks at my kitchen cabinets* I'm a billionaire

    • @eclipsey3389
      @eclipsey3389 Před 3 lety +36

      Ikr

    • @ginsederp
      @ginsederp Před 3 lety +152

      You're a ramenaire

    • @freya-louise6669
      @freya-louise6669 Před 3 lety +67

      I’m locking my ramen cupboard incase someone breaks in now as its so valuable

    • @_papercrane
      @_papercrane Před 3 lety +29

      i guess i’m broke, i only have 4 measly ramen packs 😔

    • @yeaididdat666
      @yeaididdat666 Před 3 lety +12

      *Me, a European*
      Guess I’m boutta be evicted

  • @b1bsquid
    @b1bsquid Před 3 lety +682

    Me: i need to go to bed
    Vox: *Why ramen is so valuable in prison*
    Me: i have to know

    • @dumbleking5172
      @dumbleking5172 Před 2 lety +30

      _I don't need sleep, I need answers_

    • @marka2831
      @marka2831 Před 2 lety +4

      Cause it's $1 a bag lol

    • @joelwillems4081
      @joelwillems4081 Před 3 měsíci

      @@marka2831 Really? On the outside it's 3 for a dollar. Even now in 2024 with Biden's economy.

  • @doc.l
    @doc.l Před 4 lety +9359

    2:00 “your ramen could sell for $2-3 dollars believe it or not”
    College convenience stores: *nervous laughter*

    • @veorangejuice733
      @veorangejuice733 Před 4 lety +88

      I thought he said 250 dollars

    • @LEFT4BASS
      @LEFT4BASS Před 4 lety +402

      Rule 1 of college: Never buy anything g from the college that could be bought from a 3rd source.

    • @doc.l
      @doc.l Před 4 lety +161

      LEFT4BASS facts I tried to buy a box of Reese’s a while back and they tried to charge me $7 😭😭 dipped out of there right quick

    • @benlex5672
      @benlex5672 Před 4 lety +48

      @@LEFT4BASS It's 2020 everyone should have access to amazon if you are too lazy to walk a mile to a local supermarket. This goes to every single college.

    • @im-a-pickle
      @im-a-pickle Před 4 lety +127

      林鼎鈞 Amazon won’t help you if you want a quick snack at 1am (yet).

  • @allthingsfascinating
    @allthingsfascinating Před 5 lety +31757

    Well the richest person in Jail must be called Top Ramen. 😂😂

    • @goyasolidar
      @goyasolidar Před 5 lety +2393

      "The Big Noodle"

    • @dieptattho2337
      @dieptattho2337 Před 5 lety +200

      *Cough* Naruto Uzumaki *cough*

    • @racingsponga
      @racingsponga Před 5 lety +89

      all things fascinating nope, he is called “The Store”

    • @racingsponga
      @racingsponga Před 5 lety +59

      Anthony Foster take your “L” while you take the “D” in prison. Sorry Looser, not all of us aspire to end up in prison you bad hombre

    • @naomiw39
      @naomiw39 Před 5 lety +8

      Lmao!!

  • @ode8119
    @ode8119 Před 3 lety +645

    that one brooklyn 99 episode makes so much more sense now lol

  • @johnbeatty5077
    @johnbeatty5077 Před 3 lety +1221

    I've been out of prison for many years and still suffer from awful food anxiety. Spending every day feeling like I was starving was beyond anything I can describe. I still must have food on every floor at my house and I often get anxiety if I don't have immediate access to food. But at least our great nation protects us against cruel punishment.

    • @bohanxu6125
      @bohanxu6125 Před 3 lety +16

      how do you buy food in prison? do you use the money that you earned during prison labor? if that's the case, the prison is kinda training people to earn their own money and buy food with it. If so, it seems like a good idea to me.

    • @revengeofbanana
      @revengeofbanana Před 2 lety +31

      @@marleyebanks328 Yes, personally I think we can skip the starving inmates to death part and just execute everyone who commits a crime. Much faster.

    • @joanlif2765
      @joanlif2765 Před 2 lety +30

      @@marleyebanks328 you seem fun at parties

    • @leviathants7842
      @leviathants7842 Před 2 lety +74

      @@revengeofbanana Little 5 year old Timmy stole a toy from the store.. may he rest in peace.. but at least justice was served

    • @johnthomas1940
      @johnthomas1940 Před 2 lety +99

      @@bohanxu6125 your family has to put money on your books in order to buy anything. The prisoners are hardly paid anything, 20~ cents a day tops, and with the commissary items being up charged they are very expensive. You cant afford commissary solely from working for the prison lol, it's not teaching them anything and the skills they gain inside are usually skills that they can't apply to real life due to their criminal status barring them from such things as being a fire man etc

  • @user-fm2pm1hd1d
    @user-fm2pm1hd1d Před 5 lety +14785

    Obviously, to fix the sink.

  • @wuznab5109
    @wuznab5109 Před 4 lety +8753

    College kids and prisoners are very similar.
    Both are held in a system in which they have to try their best to be the top.
    The system they are held in is a business meant to make money.
    They are in debt or have little to no money when they get out of their system.
    And most importantly
    They eat a lot of ramen.

  • @packosand3287
    @packosand3287 Před 2 lety +99

    this reminds me of a story where a kid accidentally built a coca cola mafia in school who then spread over other schools then eventually fell down but it was still a very huge cola mafia

  • @christianyoutubegaming
    @christianyoutubegaming Před rokem +43

    I remember I was having a bad day in jail, I was isolated on my bed for awhile and my cell mate made me a ramen spread with other things in it and it was very fulfilling and it made me happy.

    • @as.haribo752
      @as.haribo752 Před 2 měsíci

      Yeah i bet it was very filling 😉

  • @delkor3003
    @delkor3003 Před 5 lety +2577

    Prison: you can't have money
    Prisoner: hold my ramen

    • @Sickmmaner
      @Sickmmaner Před 5 lety +65

      Prisoner: Actually let me get that back

    • @cryptic9235
      @cryptic9235 Před 4 lety +2

      1k likes
      2 replies

    • @jediknight73
      @jediknight73 Před 4 lety +2

      Oh my god that made me laugh loud enough at work manager came over lol

    • @whip5609
      @whip5609 Před 4 lety +1

      just got the 2,00th like, ok, ok

  • @clover-il7tf
    @clover-il7tf Před 4 lety +6177

    “Prisoners are not only using ramen as cash, they’re also _eating_ it!”
    Me: *_gasp_*

    • @iateuranium-235forbreakfas7
      @iateuranium-235forbreakfas7 Před 4 lety +11

      Sam1370 what do u mean, just look at your pfp

    • @crushed3815
      @crushed3815 Před 4 lety +19

      Wow, I didn’t know they were eating ramen!

    • @samedwards3285
      @samedwards3285 Před 4 lety +1

      @@whenyournameisduoduos1282 *_elaborate_*

    • @RinRan1
      @RinRan1 Před 4 lety +12

      wow i didn’t know you could *eat* ramen! What a discovery.

    • @kfcchicken6438
      @kfcchicken6438 Před 4 lety

      It would be better if it was *le gasp*

  • @mabeltorres8069
    @mabeltorres8069 Před 3 lety +69

    2:11 I like how it says “black market cost” even though they’re just trading a sweatshirt for 2 packs of ramen

    • @supersaiyaman11589
      @supersaiyaman11589 Před 3 lety +3

      a sweater that cost more than 2 packs of Raman that is black market too me

    • @LaVitaNouva
      @LaVitaNouva Před 2 lety +14

      Imagine Hollywood movie scene, in prison, dark atmosphere, menacing music, 2 scary looking dudes exchanging sweatshirt and 2 packs of ramen.

    • @sboinkthelegday3892
      @sboinkthelegday3892 Před 2 lety

      IRS seethed, by Ayn Rand

  • @susinator
    @susinator Před 3 lety +110

    Yup. I spent 10 months behind bars a long time ago. Ramen packets were $.99 each, and you could only buy a max of 10 at a time, and keep up to 15 in your property. It truly was the currency of everything. I had a cellmate who constantly played poker, and they would use soups and shots of coffee as betting chips.
    When I got moved to ultra minimum security (which has cells with up to 8 inmates at a time), we would make one huge spread consisting primarily of:
    Soups, bags of chips, refried beans, squeeze cheese. Then anyone would add what they wanted on theirs.
    It was a moment of comradeship, when we shared, ate, joked, and laughed.

    • @ZaHandle
      @ZaHandle Před 2 lety +10

      >ultra minimum security
      might’ve as well just release them at this point

    • @IDontLikeHandIes
      @IDontLikeHandIes Před rokem +10

      "ultra minimum security" thats just like an average school 💀

  • @xSynomical
    @xSynomical Před 5 lety +3694

    Cop: ARE YOU HIDING DRUGS?!
    Prisoner: nah fam it’s chicken ramen want some

    • @fiisshuhooks3566
      @fiisshuhooks3566 Před 5 lety +1

      BFA Synomical 😂😂😂

    • @Quayyy463
      @Quayyy463 Před 5 lety +1

      BFA Synomical please stop copying me!!

    • @xSynomical
      @xSynomical Před 5 lety +8

      Mr 33 lol I never copied u

    • @Jonas-xl4wg
      @Jonas-xl4wg Před 5 lety +40

      @@xSynomical he probaly made the same coment with 3 likes so nobody saw it and is mad u got likes

    • @xSynomical
      @xSynomical Před 5 lety +16

      I selled my wife for interned connecton well that’s his problem he probably didn’t like it

  • @Faysus
    @Faysus Před 4 lety +3165

    Prisons: 2 Ramen for a coat
    Villagers: 16 Emeralds for 1 paperclip

  • @zekebass458
    @zekebass458 Před 2 lety +27

    This proves my point that school is just prison but rebranded.

  • @ExtremeForever
    @ExtremeForever Před rokem +22

    I've seen inmates so creative with Ramen that it seems valuable. You can use it to make burritos, tacos, soups, pizzas, alternative to rice, and other side dish. Almost nobody eat it plain unless that inmate is fresh to jail or prison. Once you know what to do with it, it truly is amazing.

  • @eeveeaaa4177
    @eeveeaaa4177 Před 5 lety +2622

    Prisons: *59 cents per meal = inedible*
    Public US Schools: *It's showtime*

    • @elenagarcia4381
      @elenagarcia4381 Před 5 lety +24

      Facts

    • @catinthehat906
      @catinthehat906 Před 5 lety +107

      When I was in a large catholic boarding school in Sydney in the 1970's we were fed by the same catering company that supplied Paramatta jail - but the food we had was a lower grade than the prisoners.

    • @alejandroojeda1572
      @alejandroojeda1572 Před 5 lety +20

      Not only in the US, I think that's universal.
      In my country they once put a prison to rent as an experiment and people literally fought to get it...

    • @TT-dw2tp
      @TT-dw2tp Před 5 lety +11

      So glad to live in Germany.

    • @laggingjaeger1148
      @laggingjaeger1148 Před 5 lety +24

      In my country schools don't bother feeding you starting with middle school and above. If you wanna eat, you gotta go to the small cafeteria where you could buy 23 different types of dough with seasonings. Dough with jam, dough with sugar, dough with dough etc etc.

  • @endlessdrive8421
    @endlessdrive8421 Před 4 lety +7713

    "The world is peaceful only when everyone has enough to eat" - Momofuku Ando (founder of Instant Ramen)

  • @milkshakedraws6944
    @milkshakedraws6944 Před 2 lety +19

    If I ever go to prison, I’m gonna make sure I let my family know to bring me ramen as a gift whenever they can.

    • @ibrake4rappers
      @ibrake4rappers Před rokem

      they cant. you have to order it from commissary menu.

  • @stonerhino83
    @stonerhino83 Před 3 lety +13

    The best job you can get in prison pays 15 cents an hour. Some pay even less.
    Most people watching this think that 60 cents is cheap, not realizing that it takes at least 4 hours of work to earn that much.

    • @millsykooksy4863
      @millsykooksy4863 Před rokem

      Slavery

    • @someidiot420
      @someidiot420 Před rokem

      yall might wanna take a look at that 13th amendment again. VERY interesting 👀

    • @Tata-iu3fy
      @Tata-iu3fy Před rokem +1

      I got paid $1.50 an hour, but I had a gate card and went around the state putting office cubicles together. They have better paying jobs than what you say.

  • @ayana.ch.4756
    @ayana.ch.4756 Před 5 lety +3068

    Me: *gets 5 bags of ramen*
    Also me: oh i'm rich now, ok.

  • @williamgutshall2706
    @williamgutshall2706 Před 4 lety +6102

    So a food designed to solve starvation is being used as a way to solve starvation.
    Makes sense.

  • @pinchpeak5203
    @pinchpeak5203 Před 3 lety +27

    "Cash isn't allowed in prison"
    "You could sell your ramen for 2 to 3 dollars"
    Which one is it?

    • @Unknown-qx7dq
      @Unknown-qx7dq Před 3 lety

      Good catch lol

    • @Sixtybolts
      @Sixtybolts Před 3 lety +6

      I'm guessing he's using commissary prices as an exchange rate, i.e. ramen can get you $2-3 worth of something else.

    • @pinchpeak5203
      @pinchpeak5203 Před 3 lety

      @@Sixtybolts commissary money isn't a physical form though, so how would you trade it?

    • @dref345
      @dref345 Před 3 lety +1

      @@pinchpeak5203 It's $2-3 of food etc from the commissary... like a can of Coke.

  • @Tammissa
    @Tammissa Před rokem +3

    He’s so right. My x boyfriend spent time in prison and he told me all about the ramen/food/toiletries system. I was blown away.

  • @bravestant3921
    @bravestant3921 Před 4 lety +7659

    I love how he literally just wrote a book about ramen

    • @doxed64
      @doxed64 Před 4 lety +177

      and more importantly "prison ramen"

    • @ratsmacker693
      @ratsmacker693 Před 4 lety +6

      Very yes

    • @cliffonator1111
      @cliffonator1111 Před 4 lety +38

      The only way to write a book is to literally do it.

    • @doxed64
      @doxed64 Před 4 lety +3

      @@cliffonator1111 i love you... imma write a book now

    • @deniboeva4066
      @deniboeva4066 Před 4 lety +8

      he is helping college students

  • @Brian-zc7nl
    @Brian-zc7nl Před 5 lety +3402

    So can I destroy a prison economy by giving an inmate $30 worth of ramen?

  • @aranelangel
    @aranelangel Před 3 lety +102

    "Turns out: Food isn't just about nutrition, it's also about security." Food has always and will always be the mainstay of security. And anyone who is learning that fact as an aside has never experienced poverty at any level.

    • @eddiecabrera7549
      @eddiecabrera7549 Před rokem +1

      True that, if you can feed a group of people and keep them comfortable then you got all the power in the world

    • @paullucas3
      @paullucas3 Před rokem +2

      I’m 50 years old. I promise you my mom worked and scraped and did all she could, but we were hungry. I’ve spent my adult life making sure my kids never wanted for anything. Sometimes though, I wonder if that hunger, that fear, makes us more……

  • @susinator
    @susinator Před 3 lety +15

    In regard to jail food, they were only required to give you the daily minimum per day. So what you ordered in your commissary truly was the thing that supplemented the jail diet.

    • @mikelisteral7863
      @mikelisteral7863 Před rokem +2

      ill give you 5 ramen if you spilt shot callers wig

    • @susinator
      @susinator Před rokem +2

      @@mikelisteral7863 I'm sorry, I don't get what you're saying.

  • @larysa2stylin
    @larysa2stylin Před 4 lety +1788

    Prison: money is not allowed
    Prisoner: hold my ramen
    Same prisoner: ok give it back

    • @thatguy4363
      @thatguy4363 Před 4 lety +6

      Did you really just copy and paste a popular 6 month old comment??? Even though you added a line doesn't mean your original. Shame

    • @larysa2stylin
      @larysa2stylin Před 4 lety +25

      @@thatguy4363 I didn't copy and paste and why are you so quick to judge.

    • @larysa2stylin
      @larysa2stylin Před 4 lety +20

      @@thatguy4363 besides who really cares, you're focusing on the vid not the comments

    • @four-x-trading5606
      @four-x-trading5606 Před 4 lety +7

      Who cares it’s funny to those who haven’t heard

    • @unripetomato4312
      @unripetomato4312 Před 4 lety +1

      Yah also that last line is hilarious

  • @ruinedyourjoke6267
    @ruinedyourjoke6267 Před 5 lety +2608

    ‘I need that drug now’
    ‘Ramen, chicken flavor only’
    ‘Please i only got veggie’
    ‘Add some extra spices and we got a deal’
    ‘I’m out of spices, please’
    ‘No spice,no drug’
    ‘I’ll add some extra veggies’
    ‘Show me the ramen’

  • @snypa-ck7hn
    @snypa-ck7hn Před 2 lety +5

    6 years out, funny how i miss our weekly meal combines. im sure i eat better now, but the group experience of combining bad food to make something great was so fun.

  • @dantedeloden
    @dantedeloden Před 3 lety +3

    also generally, county jails food is on the smaller end, but in big prisons where people are actually doing real time, the breakfast/dinner servings are much bigger and are technically sufficient to keep you alive. this is HOWEVER very low calorie, low nutritious, and un-filling for the reason to depress you, and generally make you less energetic. by doing this they try to reduce the amount of violence in said prisons. this is actually a true reason.

  • @ThisisBarris
    @ThisisBarris Před 5 lety +3179

    This confirms it. Student life = prison

    • @sofar187
      @sofar187 Před 5 lety +76

      The cafe at my university is run by aramark

    • @uss_04
      @uss_04 Před 5 lety +55

      You’re trapped in the library. Basically Prison with wifi

    • @cityuser
      @cityuser Před 5 lety +60

      ​@J. Moore You can escape a prison the same way you can drop out of school- both have severe consequences on your life.

    • @kangkim150
      @kangkim150 Před 5 lety +55

      @J. Moore You can't drop out of student loans tho.

    • @alexwilson8260
      @alexwilson8260 Před 5 lety +2

      Hence proved!

  • @snotmikeuppuffedhe
    @snotmikeuppuffedhe Před 5 lety +3255

    Tekashi 69 must be enjoying his ramen in prison right now

    • @broccodoggo8363
      @broccodoggo8363 Před 5 lety +113

      With his hair I think he is becoming a little better than ramen if you know what I mean

    • @kj7853
      @kj7853 Před 5 lety +41

      With tay k eatin good noodles

    • @ryanvercoe304
      @ryanvercoe304 Před 5 lety +3

      Bruhh that was fast..LOL...did you catch this doco earlier..and come back just to comment??

    • @sadiefleming4
      @sadiefleming4 Před 5 lety +2

      You did not just...😧

    • @theonetheonlyw5483
      @theonetheonlyw5483 Před 5 lety +31

      I don't think that's the kind of noodle he's enjoying

  • @michaelluciano7774
    @michaelluciano7774 Před 2 lety +5

    I always keep a case or two of Romen noodles in my kitchen. Sometimes after paying all my bills and debts I'm left with zero dollars in my account. My safety net is my top Romen noodles, because I can eat for pennies on the dollar..

    • @Tata-iu3fy
      @Tata-iu3fy Před rokem +2

      Same, mostly for emergencies though. They have a long shelf life, and can feed my son and I for months if need be. The way things are going now, I should buy more.

  • @wolfgangbloodymeatsack1687

    Just going to drop this here. I once served a few months and was Ramen rich. I knew a lot of origami and I knew how to make boxes out of commissary bags. I made so many boxes for Ramen I was like a bank. I never had to get a lot of money on my books because I always had Ramen to trade. I also re wrote letters for it.

  • @bengriffin450
    @bengriffin450 Před 5 lety +2389

    “Inmates aren’t just using ramen as cash, they’re also eating it” wow who would have thought of that
    Edit: top comment wow thanks guys

  • @jaksujschannel3214
    @jaksujschannel3214 Před 5 lety +2664

    Well at least if they break their sinks it can be fixed quickly

    • @saikikusuo3407
      @saikikusuo3407 Před 5 lety +23

      Wait omg did u see that video👌😂too

    • @brizzlintea346
      @brizzlintea346 Před 5 lety +4

      Mirnas channel hAHHAAAAA

    • @javonhayes1017
      @javonhayes1017 Před 5 lety +4

      That's what I was thinking of the whole time I watched the video lmao

    • @Eepareep
      @Eepareep Před 5 lety +1

      OMG LOL YOU SAW THAT VIDEO TOOO!!!

    • @Findingbambi
      @Findingbambi Před 4 lety

      Someone explain, i dont get it

  • @kaitlynyaa
    @kaitlynyaa Před 2 lety +6

    $1.77 a meal?
    dang that's more expensive than my school lunch
    luxury smh

  • @Liquid_Mike
    @Liquid_Mike Před 2 lety +4

    I never bought ramen when I was locked up, I would buy honey buns and trade for Ramen
    with the conversion rate (in CT at least) it was an instant come up, and even more so on weekends

  • @jimoneprism
    @jimoneprism Před 5 lety +2450

    You guys missed a big reason for Ramon being so useful in jail. The food has zero flavor so inmates put the Ramon seasoning on their food to make it edible

    • @VitaKet
      @VitaKet Před 5 lety +183

      This guy knows.

    • @cbernier3
      @cbernier3 Před 5 lety +47

      Why can't they just sell them seasoning?

    • @ryat3856
      @ryat3856 Před 5 lety +9

      cbernier3 eat the noodles duh

    • @cbernier3
      @cbernier3 Před 5 lety +26

      @@ryat3856 it's far more cost effective to buy spices and noodles separately.

    • @BlitzAMV
      @BlitzAMV Před 5 lety +25

      Ramon.....

  • @learningtoloverain
    @learningtoloverain Před 5 lety +1513

    When my dad was writing to me from prison all of his letters were talking about his food cravings. Specifically onion rings. When he finally got out I met him at a park and he just started eating ramen straight out of the packet. Watching this video made me think about what he was doing when he was locked up. Occasionally he sent me letters with cool artwork of my name saying his “friend” drew it for me. I’m wondering if his “friend” did it out of the kindness of his heart, or for some ramen. 🤔

    • @AndroidsDontDance
      @AndroidsDontDance Před 5 lety +211

      Honestly probably out of kindness. You have a lot of time in prison. He probably spoke of you which prompted people who were bored to draw pictures for you.

    • @halo289
      @halo289 Před 5 lety +10

      AndroidsDontDance can I get this version of ur comment in English please?

    • @thesultanofsmack5957
      @thesultanofsmack5957 Před 5 lety +115

      halo289 His comment made total sense to me.

    • @matthewjames206
      @matthewjames206 Před 5 lety +19

      That's a goddamn fantastic story.

    • @heyjustin9908
      @heyjustin9908 Před 5 lety

      @@halo289 me to.

  • @qaching
    @qaching Před 4 měsíci +1

    This video is so perfect

  • @akoww1000
    @akoww1000 Před rokem +6

    A prison in my state had to put in rules on how many items you can buy at one time and you may only have say 5 packs of ramen in your cell. If more than five are found the guards will take all of them. My little brother spent some time in there for DUI that caused damage. He was shocked at what people would do for ramen when they didn't have cash in their accounts. They also hand candy, crackers, and jerky. He was told that all prisons have different items in their jail stores. Also, the Ramon there cost like 1.50 and most thing cost more because it was a Prison for profit

  • @lburke2689
    @lburke2689 Před 5 lety +1680

    I can't believe I just watched a video about jail ramen.

    • @toxicaristotle3052
      @toxicaristotle3052 Před 5 lety +5

      "you're not a alone, no no no"

    • @incisive2641
      @incisive2641 Před 5 lety +5

      This is our lives now

    • @shampoovta
      @shampoovta Před 5 lety +1

      there is a cookbook on this subject, didn't you know? Prison Ramen czcams.com/video/IA5z25bb4tk/video.html. this is an old story, like 5 years old

    • @Alucard2091
      @Alucard2091 Před 5 lety +1

      Am just preparing myself for my Jail Time in the future

    • @SoCalFreelance
      @SoCalFreelance Před 5 lety +1

      I can't believe there is a book about it 🙄

  • @Anni-kb5gj
    @Anni-kb5gj Před 5 lety +1643

    Tbh ramen should be international currency

    • @Kaiyats
      @Kaiyats Před 5 lety +1

      tess Bel Lmao no!!!

    • @izuhib1952
      @izuhib1952 Před 5 lety +8

      We are talking ...

    • @xxP1ST0LER0xx
      @xxP1ST0LER0xx Před 5 lety +5

      Stick to bottle caps

    • @Avarice0918
      @Avarice0918 Před 4 lety +2

      I still prefer bullets rather than caps

    • @noahsd
      @noahsd Před 4 lety

      Ok brands like Nissan and top ramen would be trillion-dollar businesses. Or trillion ramen businesses?

  • @gandalfgreyhame3425
    @gandalfgreyhame3425 Před rokem +7

    This whole ramen story is actually about cost shifting the cost of feeding inmates to the inmates themselves (and their families) as the prisons spend almost nothing to feed them to save money.

  • @kentvonseverin1257
    @kentvonseverin1257 Před 2 lety +4

    At your local market the lower grade ramen sells for 10 per $1.00 often. Prisons by in far greater bulk than grocery stores. So the profit margins for ramen sales at the State prisons is huge. The California food budget per inmate per day is $.90. This is why prisoners must have a staple to fall back on when the daily menu is inedible (which is often).

  • @AfterPrisonShow
    @AfterPrisonShow Před 5 lety +7624

    I can vouch and say Ramen and Stamps are definitely the main currencies in prison! I've sold a few prison meals in my day! 🍜

  • @Newo1
    @Newo1 Před 5 lety +3680

    Imagine being allergic to gluten in prison...

    • @ofpine
      @ofpine Před 5 lety +225

      @Andy The Wookie many people are intolerant

    • @neshmicc
      @neshmicc Před 5 lety +155

      In Canadian prisons they have to accommodate for different diets(within reason of course). So kosher/halal, vegan/vegetarian, or allergies will get you a different meal.

    • @Newo1
      @Newo1 Před 5 lety +89

      @Alexander Heen I have celiac's but its much easier to tell people you are allergic (easier for waiters who may not know what celiac's is at restaurants and stuff). Good point.

    • @pedroandrepiccoli
      @pedroandrepiccoli Před 5 lety +27

      @Alexander Heen You can be allergic, it is much rarer, but still possible. While I am celiac, my mother is allergic to gluten, the whole symptomatic and time of "effect", as well as the ways of detecting it are different. For example, both the enteroscopy and colonoscopy, as well as the blood tests showed that she was not celiac, but the less common test for gluten allergy was positive.

    • @gaurav.13
      @gaurav.13 Před 5 lety +7

      I guess if you told you are gluten intolerant in prison, you get beaten to death.

  • @rutgerhauser2377
    @rutgerhauser2377 Před 3 lety +8

    3:30 let's be honest. Aramark gives tainted food to college students as well.

  • @MilnaAlen
    @MilnaAlen Před 3 lety +3

    I was curious about Finland and apparently in at least one prison the most popular products are curd (kinda like a thick yogurt) and eggs, apparently to get protein for weightlifting. They also get 4 meals a day which cost more to make than school lunches (and have 2800 calories per day), so they seem to eat pretty well. Oh, and they apparently can buy cigarettes in the store, that was a surprise.

  • @viperneon
    @viperneon Před 4 lety +1343

    This is what TayK meant when he said “we gonna be eating good noodles everyday”

    • @rustya8459
      @rustya8459 Před 4 lety +19

      HAHAHA underrated comment

    • @mhummy7920
      @mhummy7920 Před 4 lety +1

      under rated

    • @aaronverico1396
      @aaronverico1396 Před 4 lety +39

      So he knew 'The Race' was going to end eventually. That he was going to be caught and put in jail for a long time. And he was.

    • @sanyiaadventuresworld6172
      @sanyiaadventuresworld6172 Před 4 lety

      _kidwithglasses 💀💀🤣🤣

    • @Soniccairo
      @Soniccairo Před 4 lety +4

      Except he doesn't say that

  • @Lennyst
    @Lennyst Před 4 lety +1109

    BREAKING NEWS: A man escapes jail just to steal Ramen and goes back in his cell.

  • @garcellonodello1461
    @garcellonodello1461 Před 3 lety +2

    police: why do you have all these instant ramen in your coat
    me: to look rich in prison

  • @NoDream424
    @NoDream424 Před 2 lety +1

    I wonder if there is a website that shows you the prison price versus the sale price of an item because i would personally like to see that

  • @andrewrenolds1063
    @andrewrenolds1063 Před 3 lety +3525

    Prisoners: Ramen is power
    Naruto:breaks down in tears of joy

    • @24-sankalpreddy48
      @24-sankalpreddy48 Před 3 lety +76

      Ichiraku ramen 🍜 🍜

    • @pedritx
      @pedritx Před 3 lety +41

      Heck yeahhhh ichiraku ramen 🍜

    • @hawkmoon128k5
      @hawkmoon128k5 Před 3 lety +27

      I was waiting for a Naruto joke thank you

    • @josecalmo4356
      @josecalmo4356 Před 3 lety +8

      How does this not have a billion likes

    • @mel-bp1kp
      @mel-bp1kp Před 3 lety +4

      You're the Goat for this one 🤣

  • @chunkymilk1288
    @chunkymilk1288 Před 4 lety +4518

    Holy moly that prison food looks better than my school’s special.

    • @BrianHopson
      @BrianHopson Před 4 lety +390

      No joke I'd rather take ramen over my schools Friday special, Big Daddy Pizza.
      (Yes that's the real name of our special)

    • @krikfocowski1315
      @krikfocowski1315 Před 4 lety +250

      Hold up you guys get food?

    • @auxyy8494
      @auxyy8494 Před 4 lety +44

      LOL ramen is better than my school lunch

    • @Mr-Ad-196
      @Mr-Ad-196 Před 4 lety +16

      @@krikfocowski1315 wait they get food? Wut tha frick going on.

    • @Ursache420
      @Ursache420 Před 4 lety +50

      Bro in Romania we literally get a slice of bread and some milk, what you guys are talking about is literal gold over here

  • @animationspace8550
    @animationspace8550 Před 3 lety +27

    "It's the chosen favourite among college kids and inmates across America"
    You said the same thing twice

    • @lpgoodgamer7137
      @lpgoodgamer7137 Před 2 lety

      Wow, I didn’t know they allowed prisoners to go to college

  • @cowsagainstcapitalism347
    @cowsagainstcapitalism347 Před 3 lety +2

    Check out his book Prison Ramen. The half that isn't recipes are entertaining, and sometimes heartbreaking stories by former inmates.

  • @pondererofpointlessdreams5029
    @pondererofpointlessdreams5029 Před 5 lety +1800

    *_Gang name: Top Ramen_*

  • @Hotghanaradio
    @Hotghanaradio Před 5 lety +2952

    I know Tay-K be eating them good noodles everyday in jail 😂😂

  • @habibakbar
    @habibakbar Před 2 lety +1

    It's just the best kind of food that is very practical, other than that it's unique taste for me kinda sums up my love for it

  • @lachlanmtb7540
    @lachlanmtb7540 Před 3 lety

    Well that was way more interesting than I expected

  • @buzzlightyear4327
    @buzzlightyear4327 Před 5 lety +858

    US Prisons: 56 cents for an awful meal
    Public schools: hold my carton of milk

    • @rubikubegd408
      @rubikubegd408 Před 4 lety +20

      Yeah but prison food is way less filling and doesn’t have as much nutrients and carbs

    • @Soft_Machine
      @Soft_Machine Před 4 lety +4

      WOODY IS BETTER

    • @TheThumbsUpGuy
      @TheThumbsUpGuy Před 4 lety +4

      Make it 5 dollars for the same stuff

    • @jediknight73
      @jediknight73 Před 4 lety

      Lolz

    • @Sablus
      @Sablus Před 4 lety +7

      @@rubikubegd408 ...um have you checked out the kind of food kids are getting in public schools? (specially those in underfunded districts) it's literally causing diabetes and childhood obesity due to empty carbs, excess fats+sugars and very little in the way of fruit and vegetables.

  • @jakedesnake97
    @jakedesnake97 Před 5 lety +537

    This video is interesting from an economy standpoint because it shows that money has no instrinsic value: people have to agree that the thing they use for trade has value.

    • @samuelschonenberger
      @samuelschonenberger Před 5 lety +49

      Power is where people believe power resides in

    • @davidb5205
      @davidb5205 Před 5 lety +16

      "In a room sit three great men, a king, a priest, and a rich man with his gold. Between them stands a sellsword..."

    • @Papercut625
      @Papercut625 Před 5 lety +5

      @@samuelschonenberger it's that simple principle why Bitcoin will inevitably fail.

    • @djtan3313
      @djtan3313 Před 5 lety

      Man is d measure of all things...

    • @mymusicmen13
      @mymusicmen13 Před 5 lety +3

      @@Papercut625 when I read your comment I got a notification from Etorro that bitcoin dropped 3.6% today to $6.067. Amazing coincidence

  • @blacklight4075
    @blacklight4075 Před rokem +1

    Thanks for the dinner idea.

  • @senimanbahadur6811
    @senimanbahadur6811 Před 2 lety

    Good point, Vox is making this looks like a very normal situation for inmates. Instead of tackling the main situation they chose to make video about Ramen in Prison

  • @darthderp8066
    @darthderp8066 Před 5 lety +227

    College: can I have that ramen pack
    Prison: trade you 2 sodas for it

  • @garnetqueen7266
    @garnetqueen7266 Před 5 lety +705

    All food is highly valuable. You'll never understand how valuable food is, until you've lived without it.

  • @twobitsmickeymouse3439

    Having worked for Aramark in my younger days, I am not surprised.

  • @WildDogXD
    @WildDogXD Před 3 lety +1

    This reminds me of a FitMC video. Why "bread" has become a weapon in the OLDEST anarchy server in Minecraft

  • @Pandapls
    @Pandapls Před 5 lety +1067

    Prisoner: “eh man eh man what you got”
    Ramen dealer: “I got that kimchi fresh from the market ,20 a G fam”

    • @ronylouis0
      @ronylouis0 Před 5 lety +2

      what's the correlation with kimchi and ramen, ramen is a Japanese soup while kimchi is seasoned Korean food

    • @Fa-lt4fh
      @Fa-lt4fh Před 5 lety +2

      ronylouis shut up

    • @sophievande22
      @sophievande22 Před 5 lety

      @@ronylouis0 I think he is referring to kimchi flavored ramen

    • @ronylouis0
      @ronylouis0 Před 5 lety

      @@sophievande22 wait, that's illegal

  • @Chrundle9
    @Chrundle9 Před 5 lety +2354

    *So brooklyn 99 was being serious*

  • @frederik3326
    @frederik3326 Před rokem +9

    The US prison system is a very sad story. The fact that I can buy a stock of some prisons in the US says it all.

    • @cheezchris
      @cheezchris Před 9 měsíci

      Wrong, I say the US prison are 2nd best, the first would be Switzerland. Compared to the rest of the world, these western prisons are a paradise. Now your stuff. Some prisons, inmates would have to sleep standing because there are no rooms to sit or lay down.

  • @bongofury5924
    @bongofury5924 Před 3 lety +4

    It assists in prevent the insertion of the meat cucumbers, sometimes.

  • @mackinblack
    @mackinblack Před 5 lety +525

    *Convicted felon here. I can vouch that everything discussed in this video is absolutely true.*

    • @freethepeople9075
      @freethepeople9075 Před 5 lety +8

      they forgot about stamps.... Stamps is dollar for dollar, some times more.....

    • @mackinblack
      @mackinblack Před 5 lety +8

      @@freethepeople9075 in Texas stamps only have value in jail. Not so much in prison. Not sure how it works in other states.

    • @freethepeople9075
      @freethepeople9075 Před 5 lety +3

      @@mackinblack in Alabama and ilinois prison they like dollars. If on a lock down they worthless.

    • @minnowknight6570
      @minnowknight6570 Před 5 lety +1

      @@mackinblack up in the Clements Unit stamps were pretty popular as currency at least it was when I was a pod boss

    • @JulioGonzalez-yc2wu
      @JulioGonzalez-yc2wu Před 5 lety +4

      How did you become a convicted felon?

  • @lifemythanimations6606
    @lifemythanimations6606 Před 5 lety +343

    How long until those prisoners leave and replace the world economy with ramen?

  • @zacksrandomprojects9698
    @zacksrandomprojects9698 Před 2 lety +2

    Ramen was valuable when I was on the ship in the Navy also. Very rarely was there good food on the chow line. We kept Ramen noodles and the styrofoam cups of noodles in our racks for just such occasions.

  • @blakeshelton4422
    @blakeshelton4422 Před 2 lety +1

    holy moly prison food looks just like my school’s.
    wait ...

  • @birdlife377
    @birdlife377 Před 4 lety +607

    Psst, hey officer, let me go for 5 packs of ramen
    *officer looks back and forth*
    *shakes head*
    *unlocks door*

    • @fork_film3291
      @fork_film3291 Před 4 lety +27

      Kills him for 5 extra ramen he was hiding

    • @jgperes
      @jgperes Před 4 lety +11

      @@fork_film3291 stonks

    • @bigbangattack1888
      @bigbangattack1888 Před 4 lety +1

      Bird Life lol

    • @ratsmacker693
      @ratsmacker693 Před 4 lety +4

      *stabs him*
      Oficcer:why did you stab me
      Prisoner: you have a 10 noodle bounty and

    • @jzv.71
      @jzv.71 Před 4 lety +1

      isn't it *nods head*

  • @clydeceniza2521
    @clydeceniza2521 Před 5 lety +433

    Ramen is not nutritious but keeps the stomach full which is important

  • @jacobwhibley3059
    @jacobwhibley3059 Před 3 lety +13

    Imagine if the prisons in America dumped tons of ramen into the prisons using this as a currency, it would cause it to inflate and it would be worthless 😂

    • @internetperson9813
      @internetperson9813 Před 3 lety

      There's a reason why countries sometimes forge each other's money in wartime

  • @user-fp1go9fl7n
    @user-fp1go9fl7n Před 3 lety +2

    I can't believe cup noodles have become the primary cash for a bartering system inside prisons. Also it's interesting how American prisons have gone so far to establish their own special environment. It's like some form of new nature or something. Thanks for the video.

  • @Supernoxus
    @Supernoxus Před 5 lety +402

    In short. prisoners don't get fed enough food to survive, so they give you just about anything for some ramen.

    • @hardcandy7112
      @hardcandy7112 Před 4 lety +5

      Cheap cardboard noodle made in china .

    • @jarikinnunen1718
      @jarikinnunen1718 Před 4 lety

      Carbs raises insulin and when it go down, get hungry again.

  • @jaypi4867
    @jaypi4867 Před 4 lety +386

    : " How much does this bike cost"
    : "That will be 20 ramens sir"

  • @jessicamcwilliams3346
    @jessicamcwilliams3346 Před rokem +1

    The penitentiary in my home town had a farm, the inmates worked it.. the farm produced a large part of their food and taught them skills to use when they left. Some farmers would hire them on to their farms during their probation time frame, depending on what their crime was.

    • @zenluvsfun
      @zenluvsfun Před rokem

      Do you come from Indiana? I made a similar comment about the Farm before I saw yours 😎

    • @jessicamcwilliams3346
      @jessicamcwilliams3346 Před rokem +1

      @@zenluvsfun no, I'm from Iowa.

    • @zenluvsfun
      @zenluvsfun Před rokem +1

      @@jessicamcwilliams3346 Great States think alike 😊

  • @ZoruaZorroark
    @ZoruaZorroark Před 8 měsíci

    i agree, even when i was in a "summer camp" style of juvie, ramen was serious business, and people got hassled over paying up. but hey, if you're gonna toss in ramen packs and candy bars you don't have and lose the bet, staff getting upset is the least of your worries

  • @TigerLiss
    @TigerLiss Před 5 lety +1279

    One major thing this video misses is the amount of protein in ramen. Without protein, inmates can't build muscle, which is a pretty important sign of status and ability to defend oneself in prison. A pack of ramen contains about 10 grams of protein, which is a huge amount compared to what inmates usually get.

    • @X_A_ic
      @X_A_ic Před 5 lety +116

      They also left out the fact that it tastes good so I think everyone want it?

    • @bigge1002
      @bigge1002 Před 5 lety +188

      I've not seen a single pack of ramen that contains more than 5g of protein, so I think that's more of a myth. I think the main reason is because ramen fills you up very well compared to other foods, I can eat two packs and feel very full for a long time, ramen just has that effect because of the high fat and starches.

    • @slovnicurling9808
      @slovnicurling9808 Před 5 lety +1

      @@X_A_ic No they didn't.

    • @TigerLiss
      @TigerLiss Před 5 lety +34

      @@bigge1002 Do a google search. Standard top ramen has 5g of protein per serving, with two servings in each container.

    • @jackwebb3757
      @jackwebb3757 Před 5 lety +12

      TigerLiss 5oz of turkey has 40 grams of protein my man. So your statement is inaccurate but of course they need all the gains they can get

  • @bigonion874
    @bigonion874 Před 4 lety +385

    0:42 “it’s literally gold”
    Hey it’s the same way outside prison walls too

    • @zahlen_0092
      @zahlen_0092 Před 4 lety +19

      it clicks, we're in a much bigger prison so it's much cheaper

    • @mekadoe5902
      @mekadoe5902 Před 4 lety

      Ever been to the project? 2 weeks after foodstamps everybody borrowing noodles that 75 cent at the chinx store!

    • @unguidedone
      @unguidedone Před 4 lety

      i kid you not... i eat on 2 dollars a day and i do it well. rice beans potatoes buckwheat oatmeal peas are my main staples but fill that with tons of veg like kale and once in a while some salmon roe

  • @bigdave6952
    @bigdave6952 Před 3 lety +5

    i think i need to start eating more ramen 🤣

  • @astroshinde
    @astroshinde Před 3 lety +739

    I got a ramen add, while eating a bowl of ramen watching this video on ramen.

  • @alternateworldline
    @alternateworldline Před 5 lety +393

    Me tomorrow
    *Hooded man breaks in prison to sell ramen*

    • @Kanoa_Stibbard
      @Kanoa_Stibbard Před 5 lety +9

      And gets shanked immediately

    • @danielleeeeeeeeeeeeeee
      @danielleeeeeeeeeeeeeee Před 5 lety +4

      and gets ramened right after

    • @julianjuj9431
      @julianjuj9431 Před 5 lety +2

      *HOW I BECAME A MILLIONAIRE FROM A CZcams VIDEO???!!!”*

    • @jamesrussell2936
      @jamesrussell2936 Před 5 lety +1

      You'd make the inmates mad because the value of the ramen dollar (raller?) would go down drastically, and those who have the most ramen/power would be the most angry.

    • @TheCimbrianBull
      @TheCimbrianBull Před 5 lety

      Ramen in jail? This finna be a breeze!

  • @commandingsteel
    @commandingsteel Před 5 měsíci +1

    i was in a "dorm" style jail for a while but have never been to prison.. ramen was used more of a low level currently to trade for other food or gamble with, while coffee is what you needed to buy drugs

  • @PopOutPaulie
    @PopOutPaulie Před 3 lety +2

    When I was in prison Coffee and Tuna pouches was definitely more valuable then soups. Only because its way easier to transfer 10 Coffees rather then 10 soups when you gotta pay for something from a different dorm or a different yard