Emergency?
Well, it's not that I begrudge anyone anything, but I always wonder why someone would want a last meal in an emergency. And in this case, by emergency I mean when you're on death row or have been sentenced to death. Then you get to say what you want to eat for your last meal. When I see this in a film, I have mixed feelings about it. Would someone really sit down to a lavish meal knowing they'll be dead within the hour, executed while a group of people watch, whether with schadenfreude or not? It seems to me that you'd have other things on your mind and be a nervous wreck. That's also something you see in films, where people literally collapse when they have to walk that last mile. In a way, I quite admire the bastards, the real criminals who take those last steps with their heads held high and die with pride. Try putting yourself in their shoes.
What would it be like to sit there and watch someone get an injection, a noose around their neck, or be electrocuted... Most people can't even bear to watch their own pet get an injection and simply hand over that responsibility.
At the same time, they stand there with their cameras in hand when an emergency occurs. They call it disaster tourism. YouTube is full of it. Helping someone is no longer an option, whether it's a stranger or someone in your own home or a close neighbour or friend. It's strange when you think about how we enjoy the suffering of others, some even when they can't witness how another person is suffering. No one offers a helping hand, because that would show a lack of character and people are afraid for their own safety. Apparently, fear does not arise when you are hidden behind a camera filming the incident. There is no fear for your own life when it is posted on YouTube or other social media.
The last meal? Most who die will not get one (did you know that your bowels and bladder empty spontaneously when you die?), and the same is true for many who are alive. There is no choice. Some stuff themselves, while others try to survive on a handful of food a day... for the whole family.
And as the prisoner stares at his last meal, the only thing he can think about is: my grandmother cooked better than this; this is not how it should look, smell, and certainly not taste. I'll leave that last dish alone; I'm not desperate enough to die of food poisoning.
Prompts: emergency + last dish
29-1-2026
I think that the last meal thing comes from the times when people in prison were fed dry bread and something or nothing, i.e. when they were given almost nothing to eat. But why this could be a last wish is absolutely inexplicable to modern man, you're right. But now, reading this, and prompted by recent reflections, I'm thinking this: Suicide is forbidden, right? Taking your own life, for whatever reason, is stigmatized with threats of all sorts. At the same time, taking someone else's life isn't that big of a deal. It's true, you'll be sentenced, but if you're sentenced to death, i.e. some people decide that you should die, that's not a big deal either. And how many people's lives are taken in wars by other people - that's also not a big deal. Isn't that a huge paradox?
Regarding the lack of desire in people to help, this is another modern paradox that I have observed for many years in a country like Bulgaria, where man is a wolf to man, as they say. But that this terrible trait of human nature is spreading in Western European countries, I did not know, and I did not suspect that it could happen.🤔Enjoying the suffering of others could be explicable in poor countries. But absolutely inexplicable in the rich ones.
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I agree with you, I don't think a person who knows they are going to die has an appetite.
The topic of the last meal intrigued me. I read that there are several explanations, including one that refers to the symbolism of Jesus' last supper.
Knowing that you are going to die, perhaps nothing in this world makes sense anymore, but eating is a pleasure beyond the material. There are foods that evoke emotions. Doing a mental exercise, although it is certainly not my case, I would expect it to be at least one day before the execution; there would be no way to eat just before, except for anxiety or gluttony. Emptying the bowels when dying is another stain on a condemned man.
In a way, all this reminds me that when people are very old or sick, already terminally ill, those who previously restricted them from all the tasty foods in the world and their favorite dishes begin to relax the rules. The doctor tells the family, “Give him whatever he wants,” and there I return to the initial topic of pleasure and the emotions associated with food.
Your text also reminded me of a movie, which in Venezuela was titled La Milla Verde. Some of those condemned to the electric chair in the prison wing manage to elicit sympathy from the viewer, even without knowing what crime they committed. It's a very human point of view, especially for those of us who abhor the idea of the death penalty.
On the other hand, what you say about videos of accidents and tragedies in this crazy society is so sad. There is a lot of morbid curiosity in these types of people. Some not only record or search for these types of videos, but also forward them endlessly.
In my opinion, this kind of thing makes them less and less sensitive to other people's pain.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
El tema de la última comida me causó curiosidad. Estuve leyendo que tiene varias explicaciones, incluso en una habla del simbolismo de la última cena de Jesús.
Sabiendo que vas a morir quizás nada de este mundo tenga ya sentido, pero el comer es un placer más allá de lo material. Hay alimentos que evocan emociones. Haciendo un ejercicio mental, sin duda su fuera mi caso, esperaría que fuera al menos un día antes de la ejecución, no habría manera de comer justo antes, excepto por fulano ansiedad. Que se vacíe el intestino al morir es un mancha más en un condenado a muerte.
En cierta forma todo esto me recuerda que cuando las personas están muy mayores o enfermas, ya desahuciadas, los que antes le restringían todo lo rico en el mundo y sus platillos favoritos comienzan a flexibilizar lo. El medico le dice a los familiares, denle lo que quiera, y allí vuelvo al tema inicial del placer y las emociones asociadas a la comida.
Tu texto también me recordó una película, en Venezuela se le tituló La Milla Verde. Algunos de los condenados a la silla eléctrica del pabellón logran uns consideración del televidente hacia ellos, aún sin saber qué crimen cometieron, es un punto de vista muy humano, más para quienes aborrecemos la idea de la pena de muerte.
Por otra parte, lo que expresas sobre los videos de accidentes y tragedias en esta sociedad loca es tan triste. Hay mucho morbo en ese tipo de personas, algunos no solo graban o buscan ese tipo de videos sino que los reenvían infinitamente. En mi opinión este tipo de cosas cada vez los vuelve menos sensibles al dolor ajeno.