The most popular meal 'everyday Americans' would choose as their final death row meal revealed
There's something strangely universal about the 'last meal' question.
It comes up at dinner parties, in bar debates and any time a true crime documentary shows a death row inmate's final request.
Everyone, at some point, has likely turned to a friend and asked "What would you pick as your last ever meal?"
It turns out plenty of people have thought about this far more seriously than a just passing chat.
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A new survey by Choice Mutual set out to properly map what Americans would want on their plate if they knew it was their last meal on earth.
The survey was broke down by courses: starter, main, sides, dessert and drink.
Respondents were also asked who they'd want cooking it, and who they'd want sitting on the same table while they chowed down.
What food came out on top for a last meal?
After combing through every course into one overall ranking, the most requested item across the entire survey wasn't a steak, a burger, or even a pizza.
It was mashed potatoes.
Potatoes in general did some serious damage in this survey, with french fries landing third overall and baked potatoes creeping in at number 11, suggesting Americans have an unshakeable soft spot for a carb heavy comfort plate when the stakes are as high as they get.
A dessert item was hot on the heels of the second most requested food.
Cheesecake came in as the second most popular item overall, just ahead of chocolate cake in fifth. Tiramisu, lava cake and apple pie also made an appearance further down the list, in 16th, 18th and 21st place respectively.
Breaking things down by course, mozzarella sticks, salad and bread were the most popular starters, while steak, chicken and pizza topped the main course rankings.
For sides, it was mashed potatoes, fries and salad once again that proved the top choices.
Which drinks and fast food chains topped the list?
When it came to washing down all this indulgence, soda was easily the most popular beverage of choice.
Dr Pepper and Coca-cola were the most popular branded drinks, followed by water, sweet tea and beer rounding out the top five.
Diet coke, Sprite and Pepsi were also heavily featured among names soda brands, but a bit further down the list.
For anyone who'd rather skip cooking all together, Chick-fil-A came out as the most popular fast food choice for a final meal, followed closely by In-N-Out Burger, Taco Bell, McDonald's and Culver's.
What were the top choice death row puddings?
Dessert habits also varied a lot by state. Cake was the top pic in 25 states, cheesecake topped the charts in nine states including Texas, Ohio and Nevada, while ice cream won out in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois and Massachusetts. Pie held its own in Indiana and West Virginia.
Food wasn't the only thing on people's minds, either. Only 17 percent of respondents said they'd want a celebrity chef preparing their last meal, while a third said they'd rather have a family member cook for them, and 6 percent said they'd cook it themselves.
As for company, 41 percent said they'd want a family member with them for their final meal, a third said they'd want their partner there, 12 percent said they'd want to share it with someone who has passed away, and roughly one in nine said they'd rather eat alone.
Infamous death row meals
Victor Feguer
Feguer kidnapped and killed Dr Edward Bartels in July 1960. The doctor's body was later found in an Illinois cornfield with a single gunshot to the head.
Feguer was convicted of federal kidnapping and murder and executed by hanging at the Iowa State Penitentiary on 15 March, 1963.
For his final meal, the 27-year-old murderer requested a single olive with the pit in it. Feguer apparently told guards that he hoped an olive tree would grow from his grave, 'as a sign of peace'.
John Wayne Gacy
One of America’s most notorious serial killers, Gacy was convicted in 1980 after murdering at least 33 boys and young men in the 1970s.
The 52-year-old was executed by lethal injection at the Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois on 10 May, 1994.
Gacy opted for a bucket of KFC's original recipe chicken, French fries, 12 deep-fried shrimp, and a pound of strawberries for his last supper. In an eerie full-circle moment, it’s said that he previously managed several KFC restaurants owned by his father-in-law.
James Edward Smith
Smith was found guilty of fatally shooting Larry Don Rohus while he was robbing an office building in Houston, Texas, in 1983.
He was put to death by lethal injection at Texas’ Huntsville Unit on 26 June, 1990.
The inmate asked for a lump of rhaeakunda dirt for his final meal, as part of a voodoo ritual, which he both practised and believed in, as he hoped that it would assist his journey into reincarnation.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, his bizarre request was denied, and the 37-year-old was given plain yoghurt instead.
Timothy McVeigh
McVeigh was convicted of conspiracy, using a weapon of mass destruction, and destruction by explosives resulting in death for carrying out the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, which killed 168 people.
On 11 June, 2001, he was executed for his crimes via lethal injection at the Federal Correctional Complex in Indiana.
McVeigh, 33, chowed down on two pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream for his final meal.
Lawrence Russell Brewer
Brewer was a white supremacist who, along with two other men, was convicted of murdering James Byrd Jr. in 1998.
Aged 44, he was executed by lethal injection at the Huntsville Unit in Texas on 21 September, 2011.
For his last meal, the criminal infamously requested: two chicken fried steaks smothered in gravy with sliced onions; a triple bacon cheeseburger with fixings on the side; a cheese omelette with ground beef, tomatoes, onions, peppers and jalapeños; a large bowl of fried okra with ketchup; one pound of barbecue meat with half a loaf of white bread; three fajitas with all the trimmings; a Meat Lovers pizza; one pint of vanilla ice cream; a slab of peanut butter fudge; and three root beers.
However, when it arrived, Brewer refused to touch any of it - you can imagine how that went down. His actions ultimately led to the state abolishing the long-standing tradition.
Topics: True crime, Death Row, US News
Thomas Bamford