"what a nigga would eat"
Canteen or commissary is a very important part of being an inmate. Sometimes its the difference between going hungry for weeks and getting full off of pizza made with captain crunch and jelly. For those unfamiliar, canteen is like a store. If an inmate has money on their books, either from money they came in with, people on the outside putting money on, or working for the jail, they are able to purchase items. These range from food to hygiene to paper and pens. Today I was waiting by the phones so I could put in my order. In front of me was an older man trying to do the same. He was struggling with it so he called someone younger to come help him. The younger guy asked what he wanted to order and the older guys response was pretty simple: “Order me what a nigga would eat.” They laughed and the younger one went about ordering. I looked down at the list of things I was gonna order and wondered if they met that criteria. If he had asked me to help would I have been able to satisfy his wants? Maybe he thought I wouldn’t so he didn’t even bother calling me. Maybe everyone here thinks I’m just some white boy. Maybe that’s all I am. Maybe I’m not black at all.