CROCKETT, Texas (AP) - With recipes for "gallows gravy" and "rice rigor mortis," Brian Price's new cookbook brings a touch of dark wit to a subject seldom welcome at the dinner table: death.
But it's the taste of Price's humour, not the flavour of his dishes, that is raising questions about Meals to Die For, a collection of 42 recipes for final meals requested by inmates on Texas' death row.
"Some folks think I'm poking fun at a serious and solemn subject," said Price, who prepared 220 such meals in a prison kitchen in Huntsville while serving time himself. "My intention is not to offend anyone."
His recipes - such as Old Sparky's Genuine Convict Chili, in levels of spice measured at 5,000, 10,000 or 20,000 volts - have drawn criticism from at least one victims' rights group.
"He's a scum-sucking bottom-feeder," said Dianne Clements, president of the Houston-based Justice For All, complaining that Price is trying to profit from crime at the expense of victims.
The book, scheduled to be published in March, is as much about prison experiences as food.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/02/17/351177-ap.html
But it's the taste of Price's humour, not the flavour of his dishes, that is raising questions about Meals to Die For, a collection of 42 recipes for final meals requested by inmates on Texas' death row.
"Some folks think I'm poking fun at a serious and solemn subject," said Price, who prepared 220 such meals in a prison kitchen in Huntsville while serving time himself. "My intention is not to offend anyone."
His recipes - such as Old Sparky's Genuine Convict Chili, in levels of spice measured at 5,000, 10,000 or 20,000 volts - have drawn criticism from at least one victims' rights group.
"He's a scum-sucking bottom-feeder," said Dianne Clements, president of the Houston-based Justice For All, complaining that Price is trying to profit from crime at the expense of victims.
The book, scheduled to be published in March, is as much about prison experiences as food.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/02/17/351177-ap.html
