Food to Die For

We don't die in the South, we pass, and almost no one passes without a reception following the funeral, at which three things will surely be present:  Fine china and polished silver, tomato aspic with homemade mayonnaise, and a casserole.  Southern women approach bringing food to the bereaved with the determination and commitment of a civic duty, like voting or wearing pearls.    Food to Die For: A Book of Funeral Food, Tips, and Tales From the Old City Cemetery, Lynchburg, Virginia gives an interesting history of funeral customs, great recipes, advice on transporting a meatloaf and how to write an obituary.  Written with warmth and humor by experienced cook and hostess Jessica Bemis Ward, the book contains 180 pages of recipes, etiquette and anecdotes, benefiting the Old City Cemetery in Lynchburg, Virginia.

In Being Dead Is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies Guide To Hosting the Perfect Funeral, inveterate hostess and Mississippi resident Gayden Metcalfe is chock full of Southern customs and literary pathos, sort of like Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, except with humor and Coconut Cake.

And my last recommendation is The Southerner's Handbook: A Guide to Living the Good Life, a compilation of excellent articles curated by the editors of Garden & Gun magazine.  From how to tell a great story, to how to rock a pair of white bucks, the book is filled with more than 100 narrative essays by some of the South's finest craftsmen, hosts and writers.  Want to know how to fall off a horse?  Wear Seersucker?  Make a perfect biscuit?  It's in there.  A great book for a nip of bourbon and a rainy evening's reading.  Oh, hold on, that reminds me.  Speaking of rainy day reading, there's more book I've been meaning to tell you about that I think you'll like...

Nestled in the deep South, The Charleston Academy of Domestic Pursuits was founded in 2011 by Lee Manigault and Suzanne Pollack to instruct aspiring domestic divas on all aspects of gracious living at home.  I especially love their recommendations for throwing a great party.  Among their wise advice to hosts is what to wear and how to start the party right by greeting your guests as though they are the person that you most want to see in the world.  They have terrific ideas for organization, ambiance and food, and their advice to forget the e-vites and either use written invitations or call your guests on the phone, is spot on.  If you can't attend their seminars in person, this "Handbook of Etiquette with recipes"is the next best thing.