book
description
How often have you been unsure of what to say or
do when confronted with the death of a friend,
relative, or acquaintance? Food to Die For will
help in many ways. Inside you'll find...
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Over 100 great recipes for Central Virginia's
favorite comfort foods, including Jane's Corn
Pudding, Cheese Straws, Mur's Peas, Bookstore
Punch, and Sweet Briar Cookies
- *
Lighthearted looks at funeral customs, old and new
- *
Practical advice for writing obituaries and
condolence notes
You'll
also learn...
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Useful terminology like "funeral tsar"
and "dying order"
- *
How to make a gingerbread house
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Why thousands of people each year visit
Lynchburg's public cemetery
The
cookbook contains 180 pages of recipes, etiquette, and
anecdotes. It is fully indexed and profusely
illustrated with black-and-white photographs of the
Old City Cemetery. We guarantee Food to Die For
will be one of the most delightful and entertaining
cookbooks you'll ever read!
Jessica Bemis Ward, the compiler and author, is an experienced cook, hostess, and, most importantly, funeral-goer! Having married into a large, well-known (and aging) family over 40 years ago, she has found herself many times in the midst of funeral arrangements. She shares her ringside observations in this new book. Her wit and wisdom are bountiful, her suggestions helpful, and her taste in both food and style "to die for."
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editorial
reviews
Mary Molyneux Abrams, Lynch's Ferry
Despite
amazing advances in medical science and technology,
the mortality rate for human beings stands at a
whopping 100%. It's a fact: all of us are going to die
some day. Yet, in the face of this statistical
reality, death still manages to come as a shock,
leaving rattled relatives, friends, and coworkers
wondering what to say and do in response.
At
such awkward moments, it would be nice to have a
handbook, a "Funerals 101" that people could
count on for advice and direction. And now there is.
Jessica
Bemis Ward, with expert assistance from area cooks and
the staff at Lynchburg's Old City Cemetery, has
compiled a witty empathetic, and practical
funeral-goers guide.
As
the title implies, Food to Die For: A Book of
Funeral Food, Tips and Tales is replete with
recipes for tried and true comfort foods. But this is
much more than a cookbook. Ward thoughtfully walks
readers through the intricacies of "non-edible
support," including step-by-step suggestions for
writing meaningful obituaries, condolence notes, and
post-funeral thank you's.
Ward
really shines when addressing social anxieties of the
uninitiated and provides a wealth of tips old hands
can use to further refine their mourning mastery.
Evocative
black and white photographs of the Old City Cemetery
are used to delineate chapters. And, as an added
bonus, the conclusion provides a fascinating look at
Victorian and African-American funeral customs
practiced during the Cemetery's 19th Century heyday.
Artifacts from this era—clothing, jewelry, medals,
gravemarkers, photos, flowers, and hearses—are now
on display at the Cemetery Center and its surrounding
museums. (Concomitant recipes for 19th Century comfort
foods like Funeral Pie will have to be prepared and
sampled at home.)
Though
Ward's humorous handbook strives to be comprehensive,
it is not quite complete. Only when every copy is
thoroughly dog eared and badly stained with tears,
lemon juice, egg yolks, and ketchup will her work
truly be done.
Food
to Die For is a book about how, in the face of
impossible odds, we help each other carry on.
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