The last supper--literally!

[Shel T]

Ran across this, what some of the more infamous killers, murderers chose to have for their last meal. Note that KFC ranks high on the list of choices, so what can we read into that LOL!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_meal# ... l_requests

[Jenise]

This are the more famous people, but I know I've read elsewhere that a Cheeseburger with fries is the #1 most requested last meal.

Laughed at the guy on this who got the sugar free pecan pie. Surely he didn't SPECIFY sugar-free!

[Shel T]

This are the more famous people, but I know I've read elsewhere that a Cheeseburger with fries is the #1 most requested last meal.

Laughed at the guy on this who got the sugar free pecan pie. Surely he didn't SPECIFY sugar-free!

LOL, yep kinda late in the day to be worried about your health!

[Daniel Rogov]

Several years ago I wrote an article about several well-known people and their last meals. The article was entitled "Before the Guillotine". Following is a brief excerpt from that piece:


Although the French Revolution has received a great deal of attention from historians, few academic have paid much attention to how quite a few of France's most devoted gourmets ended both their revolutionary zeal and their gastronomic endeavours by a meeting with the falling blade of the guillotine.

It may be of some historic interest to know just what many of these people ate just before keeping their appointment with the Widow, as the guillotine was known. Danton, surely the most charming of the revolutionaries and a great gourmet dined on stuffed squab, fresh asparagus and raspberry sorbet before his execution. Robespierre, Danton's rival but not a man who specially appreciated good food, supped on a thick lentil soup just before his own moment of truth. The Duke of Burgundy dined elegantly on salmon mousse and apple pie and Armond, the Prince of Conde had a light snack of salmon with mousseline sauce.

As to the women, the only form of equality between the sexes that the legislators of the revlution believed in was the guillotine which decapitated members of either sex with equal dispatch. Marie Antoinette, Madame Roland and Charlotte Corday, the three most eminent women of the revolution were among its victims.

Marie Antoinette, executed as much for her rudeness toher jailers as for her royal position, sipped Champagne and ate
truffled pate de foie gras before she was taken off for her final humiliation. The twenty five year old Charlotte Corday, who had slain the revolutionary leader Marat, declined a final dinner but nibbled on a chocolate eclair while standing on the platform of the guillotine, annoying the executioner somewhat because of what he considered an unnecessary delay in carrying out his duty. Madame Roland, the feminist of the group, dined simply n poached eggs, a small wedge of Brie cheese and an apple.

Madame du Barry, the last great courtesan of the royal days, and a woman of elevated taste in food as well as in lovers, is said to have dined on raspberries with fresh cream before being carted off to the guillotine. Du Barry's final words were: "I have lived all my life in the name of good taste. Now I am to die by the hands of people with bad taste."

[Gamliel K]

Interesting . . .though I have no desire to meet the widowmaker, the hangman, the ax man, or the lethal-injectionist, (nor can I imagine any reason I should ever imagine being introduced to such a person) this is the menu I should request for my final meal:

Aperitif: A well made sidecar cocktail

First Course: a bowl of duck consommé served with a crusty country-style bread, a plate of gribines, and a bottle of Brut Champagne (Pommery perhaps)

Second Course: Steak tartare, served with more country-style bread and a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Main Course: Beef Wellington (made the traditional way with foie gras and truffles) served with a good Bordeaux (Leoville Poyferre perhaps)

Final course: pate de foie gras and fresh figs served with a good Sauternes

Though somehow I can’t seen any US prison springing for such an expensive bill of fare . . . c’est la mort . . .

Best,
Gamliel

[Daniel Rogov]

Gamliel, Hi......

My own choices as "last meal" vary from time to time, but if ever you find yourself in that position, I'll be delighted to visit and partake of your meal with you. I do, of course, presume that there will be no butter or bacon in the Beef Wellington?

Best
Rogov

[Matilda L]

The thought that occurred to me was, how do you go about compiling a list like this? Do prisons keep a register of what the about-to-be-executed eat? Is this open to the public? Bizarre.

I've got no idea what I would want for my last meal. Possibly I'd be among the ones who didn't want (couldn't face) a last meal.

BTW, aren't names amazing. Was there really someone called Dobie Gillis Williams? I wonder if he had a brother called Maynard G Krebs Williams? Poor sod, if he really didn't do it - as a school of thought believes.

[Gamliel K]

Gamliel, Hi......

My own choices as "last meal" vary from time to time, but if ever you find yourself in that position, I'll be delighted to visit and partake of your meal with you. I do, of course, presume that there will be no butter or bacon in the Beef Wellington?

Best
Rogov

Rogov,

Should I find myself in that situation, you would be quite welcome to join me for that final meal. As for the Beef Wellington, I'd have it made with lamb bacon, and and walnut oil.

Gamliel

[Daniel Rogov]

Matilda, Hi.....

Interestingly enough, for many years when the death penalty was still carreid out in USA federally operated prisons, many would go to great efforts to satisfy the requirements for "last meals". Also in federal prisons, the condemned was entitled to invite one or two relatives to share that meal. Few took up that option, however, preferring to dine alone, probably to hide the terror they were feeling and met with their loved ones only after that meal.

In other prisons, those in states still carrying out the death penalty, "reasonable efforts" are made to satisfy the requests of the condemned, the definition of "reasonable" generally dependent on the whims of the prison warden. In nearly all cases, the press release following the execution include details of that last meal.

As to those who keep kosher, leaving aside the death penalty (which I consider barbaric under any and all circumstances), more civilized prisons do allow for those prisoners with special dietary needs - kashrut, halal and others. Uncivilized prisons do not have such tolerance for their prisoners. Interestingly enough one of the guiding rules of American prisons is that there are far less likely to be riots, upheavals and suicides when the food is considered at least basically edible.

Oh yes...the dietary regulations of prisons in France, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal and parts of Germany allow for a wine ration every day for each prisoner. True, not great wines, but who can complain about a 1/2 liter ration of pleasant Gamay on a daily basis in Geneva?

Best
Rogov

[Shel T]

Rogov, you wrote: "The death penalty"--which I consider barbaric under any and all circumstances.
So does that mean that the circumstances of the murders committed by these individuals on death row are "less barbaric"?
I wonder if the murder victims would agree about no death penalty for their murderers.

[Daniel Rogov]

Shel, Hi.....


In no way do I see the crimes committed by murderers as less barbaric. I would think though that as a civil and supposedly civilized society we would avoid state-sanctioned murder. Not at all a sign of pity on my part but of the hope that as a society we could put aside our own blood lust and our need for revenge. The purpose of justice is not in seeking revenge. It is in seeking fairness.

Indeed, by the way, reading through history, both ancient and modern, many of those closer to murder victims (and yes, that includes terror victims) have forgiven the murderers. That does not mean setting them free. It does, however, not executing them. I think we will also find that those states/nations that use the death penalty most often are considered by many to be those that are most barbaric in other ways as well.

No fear, I am opposed as well to war. As Pete Seeger put it so nicely: "If God's really on our side he'll stop the next war"

Best
Rogov

[Shel T]

LOL daniel, bless your hopefully eternally-beating heart! You've used all the standard arguments against the death penalty and in lieu of attempting all the standard rebuttals, will just say that with your permission, we agree to disagree!

[Daniel Rogov]

Shel,


Indeed the "standard arguments" are those I turn to as they come from Aristotle, Hume, Voltaire, John Rawls, Larry Kohlberg, Noam Chomsky and suchlike.

As to agreeing to disagree......done. At least until and/or if we meet on death row.

Best
Rogov

[Shel T]

Shel,


Indeed the "standard arguments" are those I turn to as they come from Aristotle, Hume, Voltaire, John Rawls, Larry Kohlberg, Noam Chomsky and suchlike.

As to agreeing to disagree......done. At least until and/or if we meet on death row.

Best
Rogov

And here I thought we were gonna agree to disagree and you couldn't resist getting in a few last licks...
The only significant item from your list of 'antis' is the "such-like"...Chomsky indeed...
Ho hum
As for the rest of your 'forgiveness' credo including terrorists, it is the world's impression and certainly mine, that after WWII and millions of Jews and others were murdered, Israel proclaimed "Never Again" and retribution was and still is the order of the day. And disingenuous to say the least that operations to seek and destroy terrorists are okay but the 'death penalty' is a no-no.
In a strictly hypothetical scenario, if "I" would be convicted for murdering an innocent victim during a robbery, or because of greed, jealousy etc. and was given the death penalty, I believe that's what I would deserve and encourage a resolution of the sentence at the earliest time it could be done.
Presumably in a similar situation, you'd fight it tooth and nail.
Like I said, we should have just agreed to disagree.

[Daniel Rogov]

Shel, Hi.....

I see we're going to keep pulling each other into this discussion. Methinks I never approved of or accepted hunt, search and assassination? Of course, like you, I do see the realpolitik of all of this but my own credo, perfect or faulted as it may be keeps me on the side of the angels.

As to the holocaust...perhaps even more important than "Never Again" was "Forgive But Never Forget"

Best
Rogov

[Shel T]

LOL, fine with me, discussion over. But just wanted to comment that you have the advantage on me, the only angels I'm acquainted with are in Anaheim california, playing baseball!

[Mike_F]

...The purpose of justice is not in seeking revenge. It is in seeking fairness...

'Fairness' is very difficult to define, and I suspect that even the authorities cited by Rogov would have differences of opinion on what is and is not "fair". The purpose of a justice system is simply to protect society and to keep it going. With this in mind, when dealing with a heinous criminal with ideological or psychotic motives and a band of followers who will do his/her bidding; executing said individual might save more lives in the long run.

To the original topic of this thread, I never understood the logic of offering convicted murderers a menu choice before they depart. Although judging by some of the choices they would have been better off asking for the 'meal' to be packed to go...

[Daniel Rogov]

Mike, Hi....

As to the logic and sentiments behind the "last meal", Wikipedia offers a good overview at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_meal Although I am not a great fan of Wikipedia, their presentation is about as close to the realities as we will get.


Best
Rogov