Why ramen is so valuable in prison

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Instant ramen noodles have become like cash among inmates in the US.

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.

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"Inmates aren't just using ramen as cash, their eating it"

*Suprised pikachu face*

poouvfe
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"Ramen is like cash in America prison"

Me: *looks at my kitchen cabinets* I'm a billionaire

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

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

totallynotarobot
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2:00 “your ramen could sell for $2-3 dollars believe it or not”

College convenience stores: *nervous laughter*

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

bbsquid
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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.

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

allthingsfascinating
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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.

wuznab
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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

packosand
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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.

christiangaming
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I love how he literally just wrote a book about ramen

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

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

mabeltorres
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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.

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

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

endlessdrive
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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.

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

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

clover-iltf