Entertainment

An 'OINTB' Prison Cookbook? Yum...

by Mallory Schlossberg

When you think of Orange Is The New Black, you probably don't think of how hungry you are, unless it's like, "oh man, let me curl up with my binge watching snacks!" You probably also don't think, "mmm, prison food." But! Never underestimate the power of living vicariously through television, because Netflix and Abrams Books are bringing you an Orange Is The New Black prison cookbook. If you can't really eat with 'em, pretend to eat with 'em!

This idea has actually been stirring in Netflix's kitchen for some time, believe it or not. Back when the show premiered last year, Netflix produced some promotional posters that featured some prison recipes like Prison Pad Thai and Correctional Cheesecake. Mmm, yum! Smells and tastes like solitary confinement! A lot of this was inspired by how the real life Piper Kerman, the author of the book that inspired the series, has described, in vivid detail, the food she ate in prison. And, hey, it's likely that these recipes could potentially come in handy for urban dwellers who are used to a diet of Ramen and Ramen. Prison Pad Thai to the rescue!

The book, which will come to a bookstore near you in October — smack dab between Season 2 (OMG — can't wait) and the very-much-happening Season 3 — will be an opportunity to capitalize on the series' growing popularity. Abrams has a blurb about the book:

The recipes cover three square meals a day, plus snacks/sides, desserts, and drinks. They include Red’s Chicken Kiev, Miss Claudette’s Coconut Cake, and Prison Punch. The sidebars include Taystee’s sug­gested prison reading list, the recipe for Red’s Homemade Homeopathic Remedies, and a prison glossary. Chock full of in-depth information about the show, including recipe headnotes by the characters, DIY projects that emulate notable props, and prison factoids that help bring the show to life, this cookbook will bring a little piece of Litchfield right into your very own kitchen.

Hopefully Red's signature tampon sandwich will not be included. That recipe is pretty obvious, don't you think?

Image: Netflix