Alton Brown's Last Meal On Earth Would Include This Classic Girl Scout Cookie

It could be said: Alton Brown is to cooking what Bill Nye is to science. With his first show on the Food Network, "Good Eats," Brown aimed to help demystify cooking for the home chef. When he sat down with Josh Scherer of "Mythical Kitchen" for their "Last Meal" series, he stated that when people thank him for teaching them how to cook with "Good Eats," "I'm like, guess what? 'Good Eats' taught me how to cook." So, it may come as no surprise that among all the culinary delights he selected for his last meal, the humble Girl Scout Thin Mint cookie made the cut.

Brown's appreciation of the Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie originates from a sense of nostalgia and that same appreciation of good food. This makes sense when you understand first, how long Thin Mints have been around (originated in 1939), and secondly, the impressive following the cookie has. The appreciation for the minty, chocolaty, crispy cookie is evidenced by the staggering amount of Girl Scout cookies sold each year and the fact that Thin Mints are the top-selling flavor. Brown's appreciation of the Thin Mint is evident when you witness him on YouTube describe the first time he tasted one, saying, "This, this is everything I want for the rest of my life."

Alton Brown's 'Last Meal' with the host of "Mythical Kitchen," Josh Scherer, was a journey through his life, with his nostalgic connection to the Thin Mint cookie at its finale. If you're not familiar, the premise of the series involves asking a guest to send the show runners a multi-course list of items they would want if they only had one last meal on Earth. Brown's selections were a variety of elegant dishes and drinks mixed with unexpectedly simple foods. The two talked about why Brown chose each item as well as the memories attached to them. They discuss the erotic nature of caviar and the surprising connection of a great martini to his father. Each course comes with a memory and a story from Brown's life. The final course is the culmination of his stories and how his choice of the Thin Mint cookie is a full-circle moment when Brown himself recalls his first experience with the dessert: "It was like, literally, it was like communion. ... this is my only connection left to childhood."

If you think about it, the ability to connect memories with food is something we all experience. Not only does food satiate our hunger, but it is often the anchor for important moments in our lives. After all, scent has a very strong connection to memory, and our favorite foods tend to smell amazing to us. It only makes sense that Brown correlates the strong minty smell and taste of a Girl Scout Thin Mint to his childhood. It's very likely that many of us share a similar connection to the delicious Thin Mint cookie.