The Eastern State Penitentiary recently held a public tasting of prison food. Menus featured typical fare from 1830 and 1949.

The Eastern State Penitentiary, located in Philadelphia, recently held a public tasting of historic prison food

The facility went out of the incarceration business in 1970, but reopened its doors in the form of a museum, so the public could get a feel for prison life.

Food service is a new addition to experience.

Also for consideration were menus showing typical food from 1830 and 1949.

According to its Senior VP, back in the day, dishes were made from scratch and tended to be more random, showing that the cooks had to figure out how to use whatever they got.

Current inmate meal trends are decreasing costs per person and fare comprised mostly of processed foods that come canned and frozen.

Part of the reason for dropping costs is the substantial increase in the number of people in prison.

Even though prison food is consumed by nearly 2.3 million people in the US a day, it’s doubtful restaurants will soon be borrowing recipes.

They have been known to claim spaces abandoned by the corrections system, though.

Housed in an historical but defunct Salem, Massachusetts lockup, The Great Escape restaurant’s atmosphere has been gentrified, but they do still offer bread and water.

The carnage at La Belle Équipe was the worst of any at bars and cafes the night of the Paris terrorist attacks a year ago. Listen to the owner explain why he reopened five months after 19 people died there.