My grandmother's death last week has left me in a reflective mood. She was 97 years old and had lost both her sight and most of her hearing in the last 18 month. Up until that time she was the goingest lady I knew--I want to be like her when I grow up. I'm so grateful that she was a part of my life.
For this blog I want to reflect a little on funerals. Funerals are opportunities to commemorate and celebrate someone's life. When someone dies unexpectedly and at an early age many funerals are sad and the "why?" factor needs to be addressed. When someone has lived a long full life a funeral can be, well. . .if not exactly fun then at least satisfying (I struggled to find the right word and this is the best that I can do).
Following most Utah LDS funerals the local Relief Society Sisters provide a luncheon for the family. The menu is set in stone and is rarely deviated from--ham, funeral potatoes, salad, roll, and cake. I'm willing to bet that if you attended 10 funeral luncheons a week that you would find relatively the same menu at every one. Is there something chemically or emotionally comforting about this food combination or is the menu simply a solid tradition. Don't get me wrong, the food was delicious and I really appreciate the wonderful sisters that prepared it but I wonder how this particular menu came to be designated "funeral luncheon food."
It's interesting that funeral luncheon menus change based on location. My daughter Michelle moved to the Hudson River Valley in New York a few years ago and was called to serve in the Relief Society. During the first funeral she was assigned to organize she started calling sisters and assigning funeral potatoes--they had no idea what she was talking about "what in the world are funeral potatoes?" She soon learned that the standard funeral luncheon menu for that area is spaghetti and garlic bread.
I have a question for all of you: what is the standard funeral luncheon menu in your home area? and do you know what "funeral potatoes" are?
5 comments:
I'm a provoite so i've grown up with the traditional standard of funeral potatoes. I've never liked them however...but nevertheless it has been at the select few funerals i have been too.
My dad has been bishop of my home ward for about two years now, and our ward is more elderly than most. In other words my dad attends a lot of funerals. I would have to ask him what the set menu is for the luncheon. About the potatoes, my family always called them grandma's potatoes because she always made them at Thanksgiving. So when someone called them funeral potatoes for the first time I was quite confused.
Oh boy, do I know what funeral potatoes are. I absolutely love them! My mom just got released from being the Relief Society President for about 6 years, and for every funeral in my ward we would have funeral potatoes. And they would always end up giving us the leftover ham, rolls and funeral potatoes to my mom for all her hard work. They are probably one of my favorite foods.
In Michigan it was pretty similar to what you had. Funeral potatoes and ham was the main dish that was necessary. It is ironic how funerals are a somewhat sad atmosphere but the food is so good.
Yep, that is the standard menu for the San Francisco Bay Area! I have been to about 3 Mormon funerals and they all had that menu. Mormon funerals are always so good.. pretty sad, but also very uplifting and they make you want to do better in life. Your grandma seems a lot like my grandpa! I want to be just like him.
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