Food preferences say so much about us. Every day, we make multiple food choices — and sometimes, it becomes so routine that we don’t even think about it. We try to be healthy in the chances it’ll increase our lifespan (and to stay in tip-top shape in the present) and understand that food is cultural, and a wonderful way to experience the whole world around us. So, with that said, we have a weird question. What would you order for your last meal on death row?
It seems eerie, but it’s a way to give just a bit more comfort to prisoners who are about to be executed. Especially if they’ve been in prison for many years and normally don’t get a choice over what they eat.
Unsurprisingly, many don’t have an appetite — after all, death is right around the corner. Other prisoners might actually find it to be a ridiculous tradition. According to Business Insider, convicted rapist and murderer Barry Lee Fairchild was quoted as saying “It’s just like putting gas in a car that don’t have no motor.” He does have a point.
Still, it’s intriguing to see what some prisoners choose to order. While some are simple, like a juicy steak, other meals are actually a lot more extravagant than you might assume.
Here are some of the craziest.
1. Oscar Ray Bolin Jr.
Bolin Jr., a serial killer who was 53 at the time of his death, chose to go all-out with his final meal.
According to CBS News, which chronicled many of the last meals of 2016 death row inmates, he ordered a rib eye steak cooked medium-rare, a baked potato that had both butter and sour cream, a salad that included tomato and cucumber on top, garlic bread, and a bottle of Coca-Cola.
For dessert? Some lemon meringue pie.
2. Earl Forrest
Forrest was involved in a drug dispute that later ended up bringing him 11 years on death row. Before his execution, he chose to eat pasta, steak, tomatoes, cucumbers, a side of fruit, and a piece of chocolate cake. He washed that down with a glass of milk.
3. Lawrence Russell Brewer
Brewer’s last meal actually caused Texas to stop offering last meals.
According to The Guardian, he ordered two chicken fried steaks, fried okra, a bacon cheeseburger with triple the meat, three fajitas, a pound of barbecue, an entire meat lover’s pizza, a pint of ice cream, and as a finale, a slab of peanut butter fudge with crushed peanuts.
But he didn’t eat any of it, and wasted it all.
Surely his fellow inmates were a little perturbed that such a great spread went to waste.
4. Ronnie Lee Gardner
Gardner, who was on death row for murder, didn’t necessarily have the strangest request — he ordered a lobster surf and turf, with apple pie and vanilla ice cream for dessert followed by a 7-Up.
But he requested to eat his fancy dish after fasting for 48 hours while he enjoyed a showing of the Lord of the Rings films.
5. Daniel Anthony Lucas
Lucas definitely went big when it came to his final selections.
Might as well, as he was on death row for 16 years after murdering a family after a home burglary attempt. He ate a steak and cheese calzone, a pizza topped with meat, a stuffed portobello mushroom, and a chef salad that incorporated both honey mustard and ranch dressing (turning it into two separate salads, practically).
To drink, he enjoyed orange juice. It sounds like a strange selection to go with pizza, but hey — that was his request.
6. John Wayne Conner
Conner was in prison after a drunken argument took a deadly turn.
His meal choices were more or less doubled. Before his execution, Conner ordered 10 hushpuppies, 10 pieces of fried catfish, two triple deluxe hamburgers with bacon added on, a sliced raw onion (perhaps for the burgers?) and two whole pints of vanilla ice cream.
It’s not clear if he managed to finish it all.
7. Steven Woods
Last Suppers Book reports that the meal requested by Woods, who was executed in 2011, was odd for one specific reason — all along he claimed to be a vegetarian.
But his order included a large pizza topped with every meat you could think of: fried chicken, garlic bread sticks, chicken fried steak, hamburgers topped with bacon, ice cream, and pretty much all the soft drinks.
Seriously — Mountain Dew, Pepsi, root beer, and sweet tea were all present.
8. Dennis Bagwell
Bagwell had killed members of a family during a home invasion and was executed in 2005.
His last meal request included a medium rare steak served with A1 sauce, three fried chicken thighs and breasts, French fries, two deluxe hamburgers, ribs, onion rings, and a side salad with ranch.
And that’s not all — he also got a bunch of breakfast foods, including a dozen (yes, dozen) eggs scrambled with onions, a pound of fried bacon, fried taters, peach pie, coffee, and iced tea.
9. Thomas J. Grasso
Not only did Grasso, who was imprisoned for strangling an older woman with Christmas lights and later killing an elderly man, have a strange request — but he had a complaint.
He asked for two dozen steamed clams and mussels, barbecue spare ribs, half of a pumpkin pie with whipped cream and strawberries, a double cheeseburger from Burger King, and a room temperature can of SpaghettiOs. He got it all — sort of. Grasso complained that the SpaghettiOs weren’t legit.
His last words were literally “I did not get my SpaghettiO’s. I got spaghetti. I want the press to know this.”
10. William Bonin
Bonin was a sick individual who killed, raped, and tortured young boys. He asked for a meal that would be tough to eat alone — two pizzas with pepperoni and sausage, three servings of chocolate ice cream, and three six-packs of both Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Yep, that’s 18 sodas.
It’s interesting that he chose both brands.
11. Ricky Ray Rector
Rector was given a lethal injection in 1992 after two counts of murder, but he made sure his last meal really counted. He ordered steak and fried chicken like many others on death row, with a dessert of pecan pie.
The part that sticks out is the fact that his beverage of choice was cherry Kool-Aid, according to Business Insider.
12. Peter Kürten
Known as the The Vampire of Dusseldorf, Kürten, wanted for murder and sexual assault, had a pretty common request — a Wiener schnitzel, some fried potatoes, and a glass of white wine. What made it extravagant was the fact that he asked for seconds right after he was done, and they actually granted his request. Based on his crimes, that was awfully nice of the chef.
13. John Wayne Gacy
You’re probably familiar with Gacy’s name — but are you familiar with his last meal?
The serial killer, responsible for murdering at least 33 men throughout his life, asked for fried shrimp, a full bucket of KFC original recipe fried chicken, and some French fries to go with it when he was executed in 1980. He also requested a pound of strawberries.
14. Bruno Hauptmann
If you want a list that’s extravagantly weird, look no further than Bruno Hauptmann. Known for kidnapping and murdering the Lindbergh baby in New Jersey, Hauptmann was executed all the way back in 1936.
His final meal reportedly included chicken and French fries, accompanied by olives, buttered peas, cherries, celery, and a slice of cake for dessert.
15. Allen Lee “Tiny” Davis
Tiny Davis, who got the nickname even though he weighed in at 350 lbs the day of his execution, wanted fancy seafood for his final meal. And he got it. Not only did he dine on a whole lobster tail, but he also got a half pound of fried shrimp and fried clams. According to The Daily Meal, those delicacies were enjoyed with half of a loaf of garlic bread.
16. Robert Alton Harris
Back in 1992, Harris made quite a hefty last meal request — a 21-piece bucket of KFC, two large pizzas from Domino’s, some jelly beans, ice cream, six cans or bottles of Pepsi, and a pack of Camel cigarettes.
Sadly, one thing wasn’t fulfilled — instead of Domino’s, he had to eat Tombstone frozen pizza, which is even more spooky if you think about it (and way more gross).
17. Marion Albert Pruett
Serial killer Marion Albert Pruett initially said he wanted to share his last meal with another inmate on Death Row, which didn’t end up happening.
But, it could be responsible for his very large order. He asked for four Whoppers from Burger King, a stuffed crust pizza from Pizza Hut, fries, and Pepsi.
But he also asked for some vegetables — eggplant, okra, and squash, all fried. He finished that off with a pecan pie. He reportedly wanted to ask for roast duck, but didn’t think the prison would allow for it.
