The danish is to die for
By adamg - 4/6/11 - 7:09 am
Maureen Rogers supports a bill that would let funeral homes offer food; it harkens, she says, to the Irish wakes of yore:
If you can't share a funny memory or have a laugh or two at a wake, well, my goodness: where is it okay to? And don't we all want the kind of send-off where people talk about us, remember the good stuff, and have a few laughs?
Wherever two or more are gathered telling stories, sure why not have a bit of something to munch on?
Comments
Sounds good.
My father saw the tail end of the old style Irish wakes when he was a boy- when they were still sometimes held in people's homes and not in parlors.
Wakes used to be something more than just going to basically a storefront operation to offer somber condolences and whisper to each other over cups of water.
Amen
When I was a kid, I attended a few wakes held in living rooms of relatives. It was a gathering to share stories, enjoy the company of those living, and offer the best of fellowship to the people most deeply affected by the death. Food was always a large part of it, and seen as a token of love. Most often, folks would bring food with the idea that it would provide for the bereaved at a time when those people might not feel like cooking or taking care of themselves as well as they usually might.
Some good questions can be argued about this via funeral homes, though. Will the bereaved be able to supply food, or will it be mandated that the funeral home do the job? Will there be mandated areas for eating (one would hope, considering the possibilities for contamination)? Could this end up being an added burden for people already put upon via other costs? That is, will it be another opportunity to pressure vulnerable customers, via guilt, into spending money they can't afford?
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
Not to mention...
.....it'd have to be spelled out why it's probably not a good idea to use THAT oven for food prep.
Gross I know...but somebody had to say it.
Irish wakes had the dearly
Irish wakes had the dearly departed in a box in the living room. Those days are gone - government regulation won't allow them. Somehow, the species lost the ability to go on without funeral homes and endless regulation.
Don't let facts get in the way of a good rant
In Massachusetts a funeral may be held pretty much anywhere the survivors want. People are not required to use a funeral home or funeral director and may prepare and transport a body themselves.
A quick google search tells me that only 7 U.S. states require the use of a funeral director, and even in those, funeral directors will do pretty much whatever people want. There are lots and lots of blogs about green funerals and at-home funerals. Seems doable everywhere in the U.S.
FWIW, my dad died at his house. Once we called his hospice people and notified them of the death so they could file the papers, they didn't ever show up again and didn't call the funeral home since we told them we had it taken care of. So we easily could have waited several days to call the funeral home to take him if that had been our choice -- I assume as long as you want as long as it isn't to the point of violating health codes and as long as your intentions are normal and decent.
Actually, I remember reading
Actually, I remember reading a few articles about a new home funeral movement in the last few years. I googled & found a bunch of articles online. People are in fact having wakes with boxes in their living room - so it's not against the law, though some states have regulations, but it's certainly outside our current cultural norm.
Absolutely
I went to one recently....ok a few years ago I believe it was arranged through a funeral home...which as someone noted will do almost anything to accommodate the wishes of those making the arrangements. Nothing says the viewing has to be in a funeral home.
It was a much more relaxed environment...for an event that...let's be honest....no one really 'wants' to attend. There was food, drink, and more casual conversation than I have typically experienced in the traditional venues.