When life gives you lemons you make lemonade. This is a saying I have heard for most of my life.
Lemons are sour and so can be some of life’s experiences. It’s what you do with what you have available
that counts. Lemonade is refreshing, delicious and it is made from something when consumed in its
natural state is unpleasant to most. One of the surprising and innovating things I have witnessed here at the camp is how people prepare food. We are served 3 meals a day in the chow hall and from what I’m told they are not bad compared to others places in the BOP system. The quality falls somewhere between a high school cafeteria and The Olive Garden. Chicken Parm, Pancakes, Scrambled eggs, Roast Beef and BBQ Chicken are a few of the main courses. We also have a commissary where residents can purchase a variety of ingredients and you can prepare food yourself. Necessity is the mother of invention and without access to ovens, cook tops or microwaves you would assume preparing hot meals would be impossible. There is a communal machine in each unit that dispenses hot water instantly at 190 degrees as well as an ice machine. The “190” is used to cook pasta, melt cheese, heat up sauce, seafood packets, precooked meats and a host of other items. This is done by submerging the food in waterproof bags that are designed to keep its contents fresh. Example are the bags that Doritos come in which they sell at the commissary. Someone figured out that those bags also retain high temperatures when excessive heat is applied externally. You then change the water as it cools until the food is cooked and at the correct temperature. Angel hair pasta takes about 5 minutes, a pre cooked tuna steak about 4 mins, melting cheese about 20 mins. One of the most unusual and by unusual I mean creative ways to make flat breads and grilled sandwiches is using an Iron for pressing clothes. The first time I saw this I was taken back and finally understood where there is a will, there is a way. Ice is used in the same way to cool ingredients. No bake Cheese cake and Banana Pudding are two of the more popular items that are made from what is available. We do not have debits cards or cash. Anything sent to us is put in an account and when someone shops at the commissary it is deducted from their account. Mackerel packets have replaced cash among campers and are used for exchanging value. I don’t eat mackerel (bait fish where I’m from) but I buy packets on commissary day to use for bartering. A hair cut is 3 Mack’s, banana pudding 2 Mack’s and a personal size cheese cake 3 Mack’s. Some will have laundry done or the floor in their cubical washed and waxed and pay for it with Mack’s. This is the taking lemons and making lemonade principal and applying it in real time. When we have limited choices the human spirit will always find a way. How much more will that spirit awaken when returning to a society where the formally incarcerated are perceived in many cases as second class citizens? It will take a concerted effort to overcome this stigma. I’m not only preparing but ready and looking forward to proving my worth and value as a contributing member of society and getting back a multiple of what was lost in a much shorter time frame than it took to acquire it. I can make lemonade or just be sour, the choice is mine.