Menu for a Last Meal

A look at a person's last meal has been a part of culture throughout history. Many early civilizations granted a last meal request for those sentenced to die and, artisitically, DaVinci recoreded Christ's last meal on canvas. In recent years the Texas Department of Criminal Justice posted a convict's last meal request on its website--a practice that no longer occurs.

Many people over time have been enthralled with what a convict, slated for execution, wanted for their last meal. Meal requests have ranged from the very basic to the extravagant. Pork chops, steak and chicken are obvious choices from the basic list. The extravagant has included 12 candy bars and some ice cream (Dobie Gillis Williams); two pints of Ben and Jerry's chocolate-chip ice cream (Timothy McVeigh); a single olive with a pit still in it (Victor Feguer); and two pepperoni and sausage pizzas, three servings of chocolate ice cream and 15 cans of Coke (William Bonin).

The thought of a last meal was highligted in a recent issue of Time (Oct. 29, 2007). The magazine interviewed a number of chefs to find out what would be on their list if they had to choose a last meal. The key to many of the selections was the ingesting of comfort food.

Nearly all of the chefs had comfort food on their list. Perhaps America's greatest chef, Mario Batali (my apologies to those who love Emeril), chose "a lot of food." Being a chef that deals in Italian food, he was heavy on the idea of pasta along with cooked and uncooked vegtables and seafood. Other chefs selected items included Krispy Kreme donuts, bread and wine, steak and lobster chowder, linguine with white clam sauce, salmon and tuna.

So, what would you choose as a last meal?

What a dilemma. Case in point! I agree that comfort food is the way to go. I am not sure I would want 15 candy bars. Certainly, pizza is a comfort food, but I think I could do better. I like seafood, but I am not a "fancy" seafood eater, preferring the more homestyle type fish dishes. Sweets aren't a high priority, either. Yes it must be comfort food. It must be food that you have grown up with and know not only as a meal but as a friend. It must be food that takes you back in time and reminds you of the good things in life; a victory celebration, a holiday extravaganza, or a birthday memory.

When I think of comfort food, I quickly think of my mother's cooking. I try, several times a year to recreate my mother's homemade chicken noodles. She had the knack and I don't. Yes my noodles are good; her's were great. She knew as she made them whether they were "good" or whether they were good. Notice the first good has quotation marks. When her homemade noodles were "good," they were actually "great."

One of my mother's best dishes was what I call Paprika Beef. She heisted the recipe from a pot and pan door-to-door salesman in the 1950's. Her agreement was she would buy the pots and pans if he would give her the recipe of the sample dinner he prepared in the commerically available pots and pans. He said "no." She said "No." A few days later the recipe was handed to her and I still have those pots and pans on my shelf and cook my redition of Paprika Beef in one of them several times each year.

Now we are talking comfort food.

Of course there are so many other comfort foods that I grew up with. Mom made great Beef Stew and a rather spicy Hot Dog Sauce. Dad and I shared many bowls of Wilted Lettuce. My grandmother made a wonderful dish she called Spanish Noodles. My aunts, Patty and Juanita, made the best Liver and Onions and Chicken Stew, respectively. And, YES, Liver and Onions is a Comfort Food (how else would you classify it?). My cousin's wife, Jo, made the best Potato Soup and Hot Rolls.

Making a decision would be difficult. Making a decision would be impossible. Making a decision might be more torturous than knowing it was your Last Meal.