If You Have A Reception Center You Need This Book

Many funeral homes now have a reception hall, reception center, catering facility, there are many names but you get the jist – a place where families can gather before and after the service to eat.

If you have one of these facilities you seriously think about keeping a stack of this book handy – wether you gift it or sell it, the book might provide just enough humor and practicality to be appreciated by your client families.

From Amazon.com:

You’ll think you’ve died and gone to heaven when you sample the delicious fare laid out in DEATH WARMED OVER, a unique collection of 75 recipes typically served at funeral ceremonies, alongside descriptions of rituals and traditions from cultures around the world.

One part sociological study and one part cookbook, DEATH WARMED OVER explains the background and proper timing for such culinary rituals as passing a hen and a loaf of bread over a grave as dirt is shoveled onto the coffin, serving chocolate caskets and skull-shaped cakes at a funeral, and baking up a Funeral Pie to acknowledge the passing of a loved one.

Whether you’ve been asked to provide food for a funeral feast or wish to bring an appropriate culinary contribution for the extended mourning period, look no further than DEATH WARMED OVER.A unique cookbook that shows you how to incorporate long-standing ethnic and cultural traditions-from the Amish and Eskimo to Greek and Polish-into the planning of a well-rounded celebration of life. Features suggestions for ways to incorporate recipes and traditions into non-funeral parties or gatherings.

Reviews

Whether it’s because food helps survivors cope with loss or because people want to send their dead off with some nourishment for their journey or because “there’s no better way to prove you’re alive… than by eating,” the practice of feasting after a funeral has become commonplace in most cultures. In this volume, Rogak describes the rituals of 75 ethnic, cultural and religious groups. Arranging her odd collection alphabetically by culture—from “African American” to “Zoroastrianism”—Rogak gives a one-page explanation and a recipe for each culture. Some of the dishes are common and not necessarily associated with death, such as Italian Antipasto, while others sound quite morbid, like Tibetan Sweet People Cookies (which call for chocolate-covered gummy people). Though hardly scholarly, this slim volume is amusingly informative.

– Publishers Weekly

“Lisa Rogak’s recipe-enriched approach to funeral customs around the world reminds us that these rites are for the living. Digging into her slow-cooked jambalaya dish meant to be served after a New Orleans jazz funeral would make anyone feel happy to be alive.”

-Barbara Haber, author of From Hardtack to Home Fries: An Uncommon History of American Cooks and Meals