The Last Meal
In Just One Taste, the third installment in my culinary romance series, the kitchen crew of trendy Manhattan eatery, Market, plays a time-honored chef game. After a long, arduous dinner service, the chefs kick back, have a drink, and ask each other this question: if you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you ask for as your last meal?
I have a gorgeous coffee table book based around the Last Meal game. In My Last Supper, food writer and photographer Melanie Dunea went down a list of world famous celebrity chefs and got them all to play. The answers are sometimes astonishing, often touching, and always illuminating.
The Market crew in Just One Taste gives interesting answers, too, proving once again that what we like to eat says a lot about who we are as people. Many chefs fall back on the delights of childhood as a comfort against imminent death; others take the opportunity to name foods they’ve never tried, not wanting to waste their last chance for culinary adventure. When the game progresses around the table to Wes Murphy, my hero, his answer is strawberries dipped in chocolate . . . because they remind him of the heroine, Dr. Rosemary Wilkins, whom he never expects to see again.
Of course, we know better! But you get the idea. It’s not about taste, alone. The combination of berries and chocolate has a specific meaning for Wes, evoke a certain memory and emotion—the last memory and emotion he’d want to savor if he were going to his death the very next day.
Personally, I find my answer changes depending on my mood. My sister left for an extended trip this week, and I miss her already—so at the moment, I think I’d be inclined to remember the warmth and fun of Sunday mornings when we were kids. My father would cook us “French pancakes,” crispy, buttery crepes rolled around sweet-tart jam and sprinkled with powdered sugar, and we’d wash them down with cold glasses of milk. Shoot, now I’m hungry!
So what would you choose for your last meal? I have an autographed set of my Recipe for Love novels for one of you!
October 5th, 2010 at 9:03 am
My last meal would have to be chocolates, period!
October 5th, 2010 at 9:10 am
Maybe an anchovy pizza lol. I come from Italian heritage and food always played an important part. Of course I would want it to taste like my grandmother’s and no one now lets me order anchovies! I’ve been hearing lots of great things about your books!!
October 5th, 2010 at 10:56 am
Great post Louisa ! And warm memories of your French Pancakes are making me Hungry too – lol its time for lunch
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Lastmeal would be pizza, sushi, and cheesecake for me.
Congrats on your 3rd release!
October 5th, 2010 at 11:55 am
Oh, my last meal would be roast lamb with mint sauce, yorkshire puddings and followed by treacle sponge and custard for desert….getting hungry.
Valerie
in Germany
October 5th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
I’m a girl from the West so naturally my last meal would be a Filet Mignon with Baked Potato with Sour Cream, Green Beans and Cherry Pie for dessert. That’s Heaven.
October 5th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
I would pick a traditional Thanksgiving dinner because it brings back nice memories.
October 5th, 2010 at 4:15 pm
That is a hard choice to make.. But I would have to say my moms porkchops with baked potato, peas and a salad.:) Your French pancake sounds good I’ll have to see if I can make some.
October 5th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
I just told my mom just yesterday that if I knew I was had to die it would be death by chocolate. So I would want that wonderful chocolate cake they have at the Olive Garden.
October 5th, 2010 at 7:34 pm
I know this will sound crazy after being some one who can not stand a day without chocolate but to me a last meal of mine would be a nice sub sandwich and one filled with all the goodies including the hot peppers I have to omit now. susan L.
October 5th, 2010 at 9:22 pm
For me it would be a dish we used to have at Christmas Eve when I was younger, and my family wasn’t living in different countries. It’s a spanish regional dish named “cocido” and it’s full of calories since it combines some vegetables like potatoes, cabbage, etc with different kinds of pork and it’s delicious. And I would add some great dessert to make it perfect.
October 5th, 2010 at 10:56 pm
Hmmm, this is tricky question LOL! I think I will ask for mom’s favorite home meal cooking. Which is Eggrolls, Wanton soup, grilling foods and pork chop. Maybe I can have them all for my last supper teehee
October 6th, 2010 at 10:19 am
I would choose a ribeye steak, loaded baked potato, garden salad and apple pie ala mode for dessert.
October 6th, 2010 at 6:08 pm
This may sound crazy but I think I would want mine to be chicken and dumplings like grandma use to make, some redbeans and rice and strawberry shortcake for desert.
October 7th, 2010 at 3:32 am
I guess I’d ask for my Mom’s Thanksgiving dinner . It has not only the best memories but the best of everything. From the stuffed Turkey, to the Baked Ziti with meatballs and sausage to turnips and mashed potatoes etc etc.
The Italian/American Thanksgiving.
Any type of Chocolate filled with pure raspberry filling.
Carol L
Lucky4750@aol.com
October 7th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Lobster, melted butter, champagne!
October 12th, 2010 at 5:36 am
Juliet, you are the winner of Louisa’s contest! Can you email me your snail mail details at blog@romancejunkies.com
Thanks!
Kim
November 17th, 2010 at 7:26 am
Interesting, thank you so much! I spent my childhood in Yorkshire in the UK, and I’ve been trying to find a recipe for this delicious pie I remember eating all the time, but can’t remember what we called it!!! Do you know any famous pie recipes from Yorkshire?
November 23rd, 2010 at 7:35 am
Man, my grandmomma was from Sicily and she made the most delicious meatballs I ever tasted, like you had died and gone to meatball heaven. Sadly, she didnt leave a recipe for us so I’ve been trying to figure it out on my own… slowly working my through the meatball recipes here, I still cant figure out what her secret ingredient was though!!!