(ConservativeHub.com) – Josh Slavin, a 23-year-old recent graduate from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, has been capturing the attention of true crime enthusiasts through his unique social media content. Working in finance and creating lifestyle content, Slavin has taken on an intriguing project: cooking and taste-testing the final meals requested by notorious inmates sentenced to death. His journey began on September 1, with Slavin sharing 26 separate Instagram Reels where he rates these last meal requests.
His first reel featured the final meal of Arkansas killer Ricky Ray Rector, who chose steak, fried chicken, cherry Kool-Aid, and pecan pie before his 1992 execution. Slavin’s choice to start with Rector was unplanned, as he found the meal simple to prepare.
Slavin’s content resonates with those fascinated by the concept of a person’s last meal choice before death. He believes this curiosity stems from the uncommon ability for a person to choose their last meal, a unique human circumstance that intertwines with the inevitability of death.
Among the meals he recreated were those of Ted Bundy, who chose not to pick a special meal and was served a standard one, and Timothy McVeigh, who asked for two pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Slavin’s approach involves researching the individual, the crime, and the meal, then cooking, tasting, and ranking the meals on a scale from S (the best) to D (abysmal).
Slavin’s project has stirred mixed reactions among his 575,000 Instagram followers. While some are intrigued and make requests for specific criminals’ meals, others express discomfort or critique the American justice system. Slavin acknowledges the intensity of the subject matter, striving to remain neutral in his commentary and focusing solely on the food aspect.
He emphasizes that his content is not meant to glorify the criminals but to explore a rare facet of human experience: knowing the exact time of one’s death and choosing a final meal. Slavin invites those uninterested in his content to simply move on, highlighting the thought-provoking nature of his project in understanding both history and human behavior.
Copyright 2024, ConservativeHub.com
