The last meal of an inmate facing execution is a customary ritual. For practical reasons, there is a limit to the cost. For example in Florida the limit is $40 while in Oklahoma it’s just $15. In Louisiana, it’s common for the prison warden to join the inmate for their final meal. Texas does not offer a death row inmate a last meal after Lawrence Russell Brewer refused to eat the large meal he requested in 2011. The majority of inmates request comfort food or something that reminds them of their childhood or home. This could reflect that they are trying to deal with extremely high stress by surrounding themselves with familiar food. In most countries, tobacco and alcohol are prohibited from the last meal. Statistically, the most popular last meal in the United States is a cheeseburger or fried chicken with fries.
Some of the more bizarre last meal requests include:
James Edward Smith requested a pile of dirt in which he could use for a voodoo ritual.
Robert Buell requested a single black olive in the hopes that his corpse would sprout into a tree.
Timothy McVeigh requested two pints of mint chocolate-chip ice cream.
Thomas J. Grasso requested room temperature Spaghettios. He then complained that they were too hot when they arrived.
Jerry Lee Mitchell requested a bag of Jolly Ranchers.
Philip Ray Workman requested a pizza to be given to a homeless person. This request was denied and Workman refused to eat a last meal.
Ricky Ray Rector requested a steak, fried chicken, cherry Kool-Aid and a pecan pie. He did not eat the pecan pie and laughed to guards that he was “saving it for later.”
Miguel Richardson requested a cake with the date he got married written on the top.
