Philosophy of Loss, Friday, Period 2
Hopefully the students would be all right with an early lunch, because today class would take place around a table groaning with food. Baked ham sliders, funeral potatoes, chicken spaghetti and seven-layer salad were among the dishes on the table, with funeral pie and Texas sheet cake sat ready to slice on a sideboard.
"Hey, everybody," Didi said, from her seat at the head of the table. "Dig in. We're talking about funeral food today, and I figured it would be a shame not to eat while we talked. These are all things you might see at a reception after a funeral in the American South."
Once the plates were filled, she started talking again. "In most cultures, it's pretty common to bring food when somebody dies. Usually it's comfort food, like casseroles or desserts. It's not hard to see why. For one thing, grieving people aren't great at taking care of themselves, and that includes remembering to eat. If you put a big plate of food in front of them, it's a reminder. For another, death makes a lot of people feel helpless. Bringing food to their family members gets around that. It's a way for friends to say, 'hey, we may not be able to change things but we still care about you.'"
"No huge question from me this week," she finished. "I mean, if you have thoughts on funeral food, I'd love to hear them. But if you just want to eat an early lunch and get to the carnival, go for it."
"Hey, everybody," Didi said, from her seat at the head of the table. "Dig in. We're talking about funeral food today, and I figured it would be a shame not to eat while we talked. These are all things you might see at a reception after a funeral in the American South."
Once the plates were filled, she started talking again. "In most cultures, it's pretty common to bring food when somebody dies. Usually it's comfort food, like casseroles or desserts. It's not hard to see why. For one thing, grieving people aren't great at taking care of themselves, and that includes remembering to eat. If you put a big plate of food in front of them, it's a reminder. For another, death makes a lot of people feel helpless. Bringing food to their family members gets around that. It's a way for friends to say, 'hey, we may not be able to change things but we still care about you.'"
"No huge question from me this week," she finished. "I mean, if you have thoughts on funeral food, I'd love to hear them. But if you just want to eat an early lunch and get to the carnival, go for it."