DannyBoyinExile

Many inmates complain about the food in TDCJ – but many inmates complain a lot, period. I must admit that they feed much better than I would, if I were in charge!
The food may not always be noteworthy (except for its lack of noteworthiness), but I can guarantee you that nobody has starved to death in TDCJ. We may get sick of, say, pancakes for breakfast, or casseroles for lunch, or cold cuts for dinner – but we do get hot meals three times a day.
There are even special diets, such as the DFH (diet for health) for people with health issues such as high blood pressure or diabetes. And anyone, at any meal, has the option of choosing a meat-free tray. This consists of an extra scoop of beans, an extra serving of bread, and a scoop of peanut butter and jelly, in place of the main course.
This is often a strategic decision. If they are serving something that you don’t eat, or don’t like, or that just looks terrible – we always have the option of choosing a meat-free tray instead. Or even if, for example, a casserole tastes so bland that I wonder if I’ve caught Covid and lost my sense of taste – I can always take the meat-free tray.
By the way, TDCJ has recently appointed a new dietician over all the DFH meals. Of course, I have no idea who it is, but a huge shoutout to him or her! The diet meals are so much better now that literally hundreds of inmates have gone to medical and asked to be placed on it. I’ve even been tempted to do so myself, but it’s a point of pride for me, to have no medical or work restrictions whatsoever.
In fact, the quality of the diet meals has risen so much, I propose to promote him or her, and put them in charge of all TDCJ meals!
I understand budget concerns – but if we all ate the same thing, hey wouldn’t have to cook two separate meals, three times a day, so it wouldn’t be much more expensive overall. And if the food is healthier for them, it would be healthier for all of us… So says DannyBoy.