RECIPES and STORIES from BEHIND BARS Clifton Collins Jr. and Gustavo “Goose” Alvarez Samuel L. Jackson With a Foreword by W O R K M A N P U B L I S H I N G • N E W Y O R K Copyright © 2015 by Clifton Collins Jr. and Gustavo Alvarez All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced—mechanically, electronically, or by any other means, including photocopying—without written permission of the publisher. Published simultaneously in Canada by Thomas Allen & Son Limited. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available. ISBN 978-0-7611-8552-9 Design by Lisa Hollander PHOTO CREDITS: Cover: Estevan Oriol. Courtesy of Gustavo “Goose” Alvarez: p. vi. Fotolia: alswart, pp. 8–9, 20–21, 29, 30–31, 34–35, 118–119, 144–145; Avantgarde pp. 5, 7, 14–15, 23, 28, 37, 41, 49, 55, 59, 69, 99, 111 (background), 112–113, 115, 133 (top left), 143, 147; Paco Ayala p. 154; beawolf pp. 6–7, 26–27, 28, 124–125, 152–153; Les Cunliffe p. 45; Zhu Difeng pp. 90–91; fagat pp. 9, 30, 33, 61, 75, 95, 105, 131, 137, 141, 145, 151; Hortiguela pp. xxii, 1; jules p. v; Andrey Kuzmin pp. x–xi, xii–xiii, xx, 3, 17, 31, 44, 45, 47, 57, 71, 87, 101, 107, 113, 122 (top), 125, 128 (top right), 129 (buttons), 130–131, 146–147, 153; Lizard pp. 2, 16–17, 38–39, 42–43, 44, 46–47, 58–59, 70–71, 88–89, 102–103, 120–121, 122 (background), 126–127, 128 (background), 138–139, 148–149; longquattro pp. 92–93; malekas p. xiv; Stanislav pp. 4–5, 132–133, 150–151; Vadim Yerofeyev pp. 11, 25, 53, 67, 73, 77, 85, 97, 110 (top left), 133 (top right), 149; Tamas Zsebok p. xiv. 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Printed in the United States of America First printing October 2015 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I dedicate this book to my parents. forgive me for being a thief of your dreams, but thank you for showing me what unconditional love really means. —G.A. To my grandparents, Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez and Leandra Aguirre Gonzalez. Without their love and understanding, who knows where I’d be today. And to Josh Huttenberger 5/25/1996–11/1/2014. —C.C. Acknowledgments FROM GUSTAVO “GOOSE” ALVAREZ: Clifton Collins Jr., I’m eternally grateful to have you in my life; you are a true friend. Special thanks to my loving sister, Sandra Luna, for supporting me during my lowest points, giving me hope at those times when I felt hopeless, and, of course, keeping the flame lit for this project in ways too numerous to list. To Kenia, with faith all things are possible. Love you always. To Pastor Phil Serrano and Dave Mojaro, behind bars. During the darkest hours of my life, a word of encouragement from you would brighten my day, giving me steady hope. Thank you to my lovely children for their patience and love while they watched their dad involve himself in a project that probably didn’t make a lot of sense to them at the time. To any youngster on the brink of detention: Heed my lessons. I dedicate this book to you also, with great love and respect. vii FROM CLIFTON COLLINS JR.: To my sister Veronica, for being that moral compass in times when I could not find my way. To Pat Barrett, for showing me the value of a big bro and mentor at such a young age. To my boy Goose, who pitched this idea in the visitation yard with the smell of burnt prison dorms still fresh in the air. Special thanks to my long-trusted friend and lawyer, David Krintzman, for always believing in me and having a solution to seemingly never- ending obstacles. Danielle Josephs, whose presence and hard work would always get us through the day. Tim Cadiente, for his creative support throughout the years and passion for our project that kept us going in times when we thought we couldn’t. The Agency Groups’ Marc Gerald, for taking a chance on this way out-of-the-box project. Molly Derse, for her kind, caring ways. And, of course, that beast of a house Workman Publishing, with Mary Ellen O'Neill, a passionate talent, collaborator, and godsend; and Selina Meere, with her publicity wisdom. And a giant thanks to all my friends for contributing to this book. I love you guys! viii PRISON RAMEN Foreword by WET BEHIND THE EARS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Samuel L. Jackson . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv PB&J Ramen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii STATE ISSUE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 About the Recipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxi State Issue Soup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 CLOSE CALL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 * * Ramen Tamale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 1 Accessory to SYSTEM OF IDENTIFICATION . . . 12 Ramen Burger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Ramen INSTANT KARMA BY NEIL BROWN JR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 PAGE 1 Ramen Instant Karma . . . . . . . . 15 NUTS TO BUTTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 THE KILLER GREEN THUMB . . . . . . . 16 Butt-Naked Ramen Soup . . . . . 3 Sweet & Crunchy Salad . . . . 17 DEAR JOHN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 BREAKING BREAD Hot Chili Corn Chip Pie . . 5 BY DANNY TREJO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Trejo’s Machete Ramen . . . . 19 ix