Marilyn Monroe had stuffed mushrooms, meatballs, and champagne.  Elvis wandered into his kitchen for a late night snack of ice cream and chocolate chip cookies. Julia Child enjoyed a simple bowl of french onion soup.  Whether or not they knew it, these were their last meals on earth.

What if you had the luxury of planning your own last meal? What would you eat? And why? Last Meal on Earth is a literary food project that explores just that.

It might sound morbid, but the thought of our own impermanence makes us think and feel a little differently. We eat a lot of food mindlessly (I just snarfed down some string cheese, as a matter of fact). And we’re entrenched in routines and tasks that gobble up a lot of our waking hours. Considering death makes us consider life through a different lens, blurring out the unimportant things that normally busy our brains.

When I consider my last meal, I think of my mom’s bolognese served over creamy polenta, manchego cheese, fresh berries, flan, bacon in some form, and beets bleeding all over my plate. No string cheese on my menu.  And I think about the people I’d want to eat with and the wine we’d inevitably be drinking.  This blog explores the food we love most and why.

How it works:

I ask someone to ponder his or her perfect last meal. If it’s something they can cook, we make it together. If it’s at their favorite restaurant, we go and eat it. We talk, we eat.  You enjoy their recipes, restaurant recommendations, and thoughts on food, life, and the living of it.

About Me:

I live in Chicago with my sister and our two plants, Tita and Beaker. When I’m not working nights as an RN or feeling paralyzed by my incessant desire for more sleep, I’m riding my bike, drinking milkshakes, or riding my bike to drink milkshakes. Oh and I love armadillos.

A few years ago, I started thinking about how enjoyable it would be to interview engaging people about their favorite dishes and learn their recipes. I was looking for a way to live my life more intentionally…and improve my cooking skills. I wanted to integrate the meaningfulness that accompanies a sense of brevity with the actuality of day to day life. Last meal on earth is my way of blending those realities.

Me!