If it's the end of the world, what would be your last meal?

We’ve all played the question games with our friends at some point in our lives. “What 3 things would you take with you on a deserted island?” “What country would you visit if you could only pick one?”

With the Mayan prophecy before us, some already have these questions answered believing that the end is truly near. A large percentage of us don’t have the money or means to visit countries or go to deserted islands.  Something that everyone can share in, is their love for food.  A Sunday afternoon dinner where you’re gathered around family and friends or scarfing down your favorite junk food while watching a football game or a movie.

We’re talking about the last meal you’ll ever eat. If you could have one meal before you die what would it be?

Food psychologically ties us to our humanity. Of times gone by and experiences we’ve shared with others. It also defines us through our heritage. There is a scene in a Disney Pixar movie (spoiler*) Ratatouille where a bold Parisian food critic is incapable of finding a dish to measure up to his standards. As he is slowly enticed by the meals of a once hated restaurant, the final dish that wins his heart over is one that brings him back to his childhood.  He’s reminded of the warmth of the kitchen his mother cooked in and pain staking preparation and love she put into the dish especially for him. The same reminders for us would be the way our parents prepared our lunch by cutting off the crust of a sandwich or slicing it into triangles instead of just in half.  While those things may seem trivial, it stays with us and those memories maybe sparked when we may encounter it in our present day to day activities.

The movie that probably best illustrates the last moments and whether a meal could actually be enjoyed is ‘Signs’. The movie directed by M. Night Shyamalan and starring Mel Gibson, is about aliens scouting the earth, gathering information for a pending invasion. Accepting their fate, the dinner table is strewn with all kinds of breakfasts, dinners, and desserts. The grief of loved ones lost becomes too much for them and the food becomes an afterthought, but still, a reminder of better times.