So lately, I've been reading up on prisoners who have been condemned to death and part of the death row process is to grant the convict a last meal. People often make the mistake of believing that the state is required to give the condemned a last meal, but that's not the case. It's both a privilege and tradition, not a right. From what I've read online, last meals began in medieval Europe where granting a prisoner some food before they were executed was to reflect the Last Supper of Jesus Christ and his disciples in the New Testament. It also acts as a sort of convenant of peace between the executed and the state i.e. the executioners know they're about to take the life of the criminal, but as an act of mercy, they supply them with any food they would like.
Of course, there are exceptions and restrictions. For example, the US state of Florida has a "last meal budget" of $40 and will not go over it if the price of the food is too steep and the food must be produced locally. The state of Indiana also gives the prisoners their requested meals a few days in advanced because studies show they lose their appetite when their date of execution is close.
Some prisoners order a colossal banquet while others order a clump of dirt (James Edward Smith) or "Justice, Equality, World Peace" (Odell Barnes).
I think my favorite last meal request would have to be from condemned Texas prisoner Lawrence Russell Brewer.
He ordered two chicken fried steaks smothered in gravy with sliced onions, a triple bacon cheeseburger with fixings on the side; a cheese omelet with ground beef, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and jalapeños, a bowl of fried okra with ketchup; a pound of barbecue with half a loaf of white bread; three fajitas with fixings; a Meat Lovers pizza (from Pizza Hut I imagine); three root beers; one pint of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream; and lastly, a piece of peanut butter fudge with crushed peanuts.
Fun fact: His meal was granted, but when they gave it to him, he denied it and said he wasn't hungry. This actually moved the state of Texas to no longer provide prisoners with last meal requests.
Reading all of this stuff got me to think, "What if we knew our end was near but we could do nothing to stop it? What would be our last meals be?" So, I'm curious.
If you had a choice, what would your last meal be?