If the world ended tomorrow, what would be your last meal?

New book gives last meals for famous celebrities, past and present

Josh Miller

DM Managing editor

U.S. Senator Trent Lott wants a big plate of barbecue and lemon icebox pie. Vanna White would prefer cottage cheese salad. Jimi Hendrix had a tuna fish sandwich.

Few of us get to plan out the last morsels of food that we partake of before we depart this earth, but author and Ole Miss graduate James L. Dickerson provides that opportunity with his latest book. "Last Suppers" is an anthology of the last meal selections of celebrities from the realms of entertainment, politics, and sports: what they'd love to chow down on before tackling the Great Beyond.

The book showcases a random selection of interesting characters. Some of the celebrities featured in Dickerson's book have unconventional menus planned for their last meals. Denver Broncos Quarterback John Elway's choice was hamburger soup. Don't ask -- you're better off not knowing.

One particularly bizarre choice is Rhonda Shear, from the USA Network's "Up All Night." If given the chance to map out her last moments, Rhonda foresees an all night pajama party, with guests such as Madonna, Dolly Parton and Joan Rivers. Her last supper would be a jumble of junk foods: potato chips, guacamole, french fries, onion rings, ice cream, fried chicken, and a big vat of gumbo.

Other celebrities offered more specialized dishes for their culinary epitaphs. President Bill Clinton's choice was his own recipe, entitled "Bill Clinton's Chicken Enchiladas." It's ingredients of green chiles, garlic and onion promise to make it spicier than the president's love life.

Southern rock 'n roller Gregg Allman chose a Southern/Cajun feast with an Italian twist: catfish and hushpuppies, red beans and rice, sweet iced tea, and oddly enough, tiramisu.

In addition to the living celebrities' last suppers, the section on the last meals of deceased celebrities is fascinating.

According to Dickerson, the only celebrity he could find who enjoyed an elegant meal before their demise was Princess Diana. Her last supper consisted of an asparagus and mushroom omelet, Dover sole with vegetable tempura, and champagne.

Earnest Hemingway pulls a close second with his last meal of a New York strip steak, baked potato, Caesar salad and Bordeaux wine. The next morning he killed himself with a double-barreled shotgun.

And let's not forget poor Elvis, the King who died on the throne. After staying up all night and playing racquetball for a couple hours, Mr. Presley chomped down a bowl of ice cream and cookies, and went to the bathroom. Hours later, Elvis was found dead on the bathroom floor.

Others didn't get to partake of such treats before their departure. Ex-President Franklin D. Roosevelt had warm oatmeal with milk. John Candy simply had a bowl of pasta. Sex symbol and movie star James Dean had a glass of milk and fresh apples before crashing his Porsche on that fateful September day in 1955.

But whether the meals were four-star quality or humble, Dickerson succeeds with this book. Not only does it provide the reader with some interesting recipes, such as Elway's hamburger soup, it also adds a little bit of extra trivia to familiar celebrity faces.

The result: "Last Suppers" is the quintessential coffee table book. It makes you laugh, but more importantly, it makes you think, "If the world ended tomorrow, what would my last meal be?"

Just watch out what you eat and when. Imagine being immortalized for eating a tub of ice cream and cookies and then checking out on the toilet. Perhaps there truly is a fate worse than death. Bon Appétit!