Forget about Steemit, the currency of the future is called... RAMEN !

An interesting article has appeared in The Guardian : 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/22/ramen-prison-currency-study 

Basically, since the US prison system has been taken over by private firms, the cost-cutting policy of these firms means that quality of the food has dramatically worsened.

Therefore, the prisoners, in order to sustain themselves, have basically turned towards a food unit which is easy to find, store, barter, and cook. 

The Ramen packs have become a valuable commodity, which is now worth more than cigarettes! But of course, just like cigarettes, it has values as long as you don't consume it. That's the predicament of this kind of currency, but it's not the first time something edible turns into a currency.

For example, the word "salary" is said to come from the Latin "salarium" which is derived from "salt". Salt was not only valuable to enrich your meal but also to preserve other kind of food from rotting (like fish). 

And it is still a trade you can find in Africa : http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-salt-idUSL0916220020070309 

                                            

I wonder how much time it will take for the US Government to set up a tax on all those ramens used to barter in the federal prisons.