Why do Americans Serve Food When Someone Dies?
Life and death and different rituals.
If you’re outside the US and watch American media — which isn’t hard — you’ve seen countless funeral ceremonies, from burying people to cremating them. Nothing strange for now, right? At least here in Europe, or this part of Europe called the Mediterranean, we do the same thing.
But now comes the unusual part, and honestly, this is a cultural thing that I will never, ever understand. If you are one of those who has ever felt embarrassed and awkward to see people drinking and eating at a memorial service in the US, raise your hand! Or is it just me? Come on, eating and drinking during such a sad time?
“Hey, my mum died, so it seems like a great time to bring people together and to drink and eat!”
This is all cultural and has to do with how people view life and death. I know this, I’m educated, and I’m not stupid. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that this is just plain wrong.
Some UK students I have, whose cultural similarities are closer to the US than Portugal, have told me that a memorial service is like a celebration of this person’s life, and they like to eat and drink while telling stories about the deceased.
