Being Dead Is No Excuse" 1 '10

Knowing that I am interested in Southern culture, a friend from my book club recommended I read this book .

"Being Dead Is No Excuse" is a funny, true, and chock full of recipes for must-be-served dishes at after funeral receptions.Tomato aspic with homemade mayonnaise tops the list that includes Aunt Hebe's Coconut Cake and Virginia's Butterbeans. Those who doubt the import of a table groaning under countless casseroles will learn that "Nobody eats better than the bereaved Southerner. We celebrate weddings, christenings, birthdays, and just about every milestone in life with food. But every southerner knows that death cooking is our very best."

This book was fun to read in that it did a realistic comparison between the habits of bringing food to funerals in the south. Many of us who are living in the south have actually eaten many of the foods described in the book.  It is really part cookbook and part fun read.

While much of the book is taken up with the recipes, it also goes into the finer points of southern etiquette.   For example, it goes into the fine art of writing a thank you ….”  A note from a Southern girl never has a fill in the blank feel.  There is nothing generic about it. A Southern Girl has to stop herself from hushing more than Old Faithful. If she is writing a Thank you not for a toaster, she doesn’t just say thank you.  She tells you every little ole thing she’s ever toasted in it or likely to toast in it. …”   So many of these anecdotes ring true with my personal experience with Southern bred women that after reading it myself,  I passed it on to another  friend who is from the South, and who enjoys both reading about  the southern culture and cooking.

Feel free to enjoy it for a light read and a few laughs but know that the calorie laden recipes it contains are “like ta die for”.