I started with one tradition and ended with another... Repast... Here in Louisiana, traditions are cherished and honored with the same tenacity that we live. Our joie de vivre is hard to contain... we live our lives tuned to the beat of a different drummer... and in death it is no different. My mom recently passed, and we decided we would celebrate Repast at the home of my niece Tiffany and her husband Craig. Repast... the taking of food and drink to sustain stamina, especially during stressful events; a good meal shared... and that it was. To quote C. S. Lewis, No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. A well-known bereavement specialist expanded on his sentiment: Grief triggers the fight-or-flight mechanism. Your body is in a state of alarm. Its like somethings chasing you. When grieving people say they dont feel like eating, thats because the body is prioritizing for survival. Post-funeral meals, the food brought by family and neighbors, offer emotional support. But we do these things also out of a basic human sense that people who have survived the death of someone they love are going to need nourishment. Theyve been depleted by caregiving and bereavement. Grieving people must eat.... Pasta salad, finger sandwiches, artichoke balls, stuffed eggs (their round shape also symbolizes lifes cyclical nature), potato salad, sliced turkey and ham for sandwiches, stewed chicken with Louisiana-grown rice, fresh fruit and veggies, homemade pound cake, mini cinnamon rolls, soft drinks, and more I possibly missed, were all lovingly prepared by family and friends to help us wind down, relax, and pass a good time in spite of the days events. Repast is an age-old custom, and Funeral meals, are so important to so many ethnic and religious communities. Its celebration is largely unchanged to this day, across a wide variety of communities, using their local foods to replace those we are most accustomed to. Here in the city, Repast has several forms. We are blessed with so many fine restaurants within our midst that Repast often takes place in a local restaurant. It may also be a catered event, with area funeral homes as well as halls and private homes frequently using catering services to help celebrate the tradition. Some families share in the preparation of food as we did. Perhaps it is a symbol of solidarity and union, for we are all passing through the same life event together, and perhaps thats what it is truly designed to do... to bring us closer together, supporting each other emotionally and nutritionally. What could be more Louisiana than that?! My second tradition involves the Cajun use of what you have, in this case leftover Repast food. I made the stewed chicken, 21 lbs. of it, and all of us had chicken to take home. Some of mine was eaten as is, some was tossed with extra celery, green onions, and mayo and became chicken salad, but at least half of it became something I needed to help soothe me a little more... something that would take the chill off December days and gray skies... and that my friends was chicken soup. The Repast food had gone through a transition just as I had. Im beginning to think that food has a life of its own in Louisiana. Id like to think it does no matter where you call home.
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 03:32:47 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015