OK,  just some information from "back in the day"  when I took a temp. cooking job at the Eau Claire County jail,  year was 1969.

I think I've blogged about this before,  at least stated that I had cooked there.  Maybe I didn't write about the meals...

Breakfast was basic,  oatmeal,  toast with butter and jam on the side.  Milk, juice, and coffe.  Fruit.  On the weekend I'd make pancakes and fry sausage and bacon,  with eggs. 

Lunch was usually a bag lunch as MOST of the inmates went to work,  where I have no idea.  They got 2 meat and cheese sandwiches, 2 kinds of fruit,  cookies or other sweet treat,  milk,  and I guess we tossed chips or cheetos in there.  NOt sure about the chips..38 years is a long time.

Supper was usually a hot dish,  sometimes  potatoes,  a piece of chicken,  vegie,  and milk, coffee.  Some nights was a couple of pork chops,  it varied. 

Meals was nothing like they get in Dakota County.

I only worked there two weeks,  the Sheriff's wife was helping their daughter with her first baby,  so they hired me to fill in.  There was a "trustee" allowed to help me with packing the noon lunches ( in the morning) and help with loading up the trays with food,  and delivering them.

On Thanksgiving I cooked two turkeys,  and two hams for the inmates,  along with all the trappings that usually accompany this kind of a holiday.  Sweet potatoes,  mashed potatoes,  dressing,  cranberries, ect.

That morning as I liftedt the lid off of one turkey,  the escaping steam severely burned my left hand,  and I drove myself to the nearby hospital,  stopping along the way to pack snow on it,  God it hurt.  The trustee was allowed to finish the meal,  it had already been cooked,  he just had to finish up the serving alone.

The odd thing is,  in 1996,  almost 30 years later I'm cooking in a county jail again,  and again I got hurt.  This time an electric?  steel door smashed two of my fingers,  on my left hand of course,  and I couldn't finish cooking that day.  I didn't go back after that.  The way it happened was so odd,  I had been shown the ropes,  how to do things,  how to use the walkie talkie I had to carry,  was told to be sure that the doors were always closed behind me before going through another,  and THEN....the boss walked with me through the jail,  and she said to me,  just as I was going through one security door,  "be sure it's closed behind you!!'  and so I automatically turned around and reached for the door handle and it shut on my hand....and that's the way it goes sometimes...

She was soooo surprised and dissapointed when I told her I wasn't coming back,  she thought I was just going to wait until it had healed....nope.  I didn't want to LOSE that hand the next time...

So in Chisago county they ate pretty much the way the inmates did in Eau Claire,  I WAS only in Chisago county cooking for the noon meal,  however had to help prepare the evening meal and it WAS nutricious,  and tasty.