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| Being Dead Is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies Guide To Hosting the Perfect Funeral | 
 enlarge | Author: Gayden Metcalfe
Publisher: Miramax
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $6.00
You Save: $13.95 (70%)
New (43) Used (36) Collectible (12) from $5.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  83 reviews
Sales Rank: 7033
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.6 x 1
ISBN: 1401359345
Dewey Decimal Number: 395.230207
EAN: 9781401359348
ASIN: 1401359345
Publication Date: March 16, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: New - Fast shipping from trusted wholesaler with many exclusive publisher contracts.*
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 81-83 of 83 | | « PREV 1 ... | | |
 THAT'S WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE SOUTH ! March 30, 2005
50 out of 52 found this review helpful
Forget Scarlet, Zelda, and Tallulah, they pale beside the ladies of the Mississippi Delta who are dedicated, determined, and (pun intended) dead set on seeing the dearly departed off in style.
"Being Dead Is No Excuse" is laugh out loud 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."
Now, it's not only the food, but it's also the presentation. For Southern ladies, polishing silver is a form of grief therapy thus the serving pieces will be immaculate. In addition, linens are required. "We do not want Mildred to go under with paper napkins."
Metcalfe forthrightly addresses the vanity often ascribed to Southern women by describing an older lady who passed away and wanted to be "laid out" as she looked during the happiest days of her life - when she was a waitress. Thanks to the craftsmanship of the local undertaker she appeared in her coffin in waitress uniform with ruby red lips and the same color hair.
Then there is Lavinia, the former wife of a philanderer. Not wishing to be outdone at his services, she made a Botox appointment, bought designer duds, and hired a King Air private jet which she directed to buzz the church. There wasn't anyone with ears who didn't know "someone" had arrived. Then, Lavinia strode smartly down the aisle stage-whispering, "I don't want anybody to know I'm here.....I just came for the children."
Greenville, Mississippi native Metcalfe hasn't missed a beat in relating the rollicking rites and rituals necessary for the Southerner's final goodbye, including the frequency of their visits to the local cemetery. "We won't forget you just because you've up and died," she writes. "We may even like you better and visit you more often."
Few will forget "Being Dead Is No Excuse."
- Gail Cooke
The Mississppi Delta Way to Go...! March 20, 2005
This is a re-entry which I accidentally erased some time ago....
Having just laid to rest my 96 year old Aunt Jewel the very day the review came out about "Being Dead is No Excuse," I knew things were really OK and she was sent off in good stead, not just with the Lord but in good ole Mississippi Delta style. The family having all gathered for visiting and telling funny stories about Aunt Jewel, along with friends for the after funeral socializing, prepared to feast. I should add that being Baptists, there was no official alcohol present...! However, there were cakes, fudge, brownies, chocolate pies, banana puddings, Coca Cola cake (my personal favorite), lemon icebox pies(also my personal favorite), then the casseroles, deviled eggs, fried chicken, potato salads, chicken salads, congealed salads, lasagna, iced teas (both sweet and unsweet), Cokes and diet Cokes, and other beverages.
I was saddened, however that there were no pimento cheese finger sandwiches or even pimento cheese sandwiches cut on a diagonal with the crust removed...so sad. As a matter of fact, there was no pimento cheese of any sort. I felt that we owed someone an apology for not having the PC sandwiches but didn't know who to apologize to, so I just let it go. The night before there were deviled eggs, potato salad along with the best-darned bbq chopped Boston butt you could ever sink you teeth into.
I loved my Aunt dearly and am proud to say we sent her on her journey in style.
We read the book review the afternoon of the funeral and laughed till we cried and wished Aunt Jewel could have been there to enjoy all that magnificent Southern cuisine and laugh with us. It actually made things a little easier and a lot more enjoyable.
If you want to go in style but are of the Northern persuasion, feel free to come to the Mississippi Delta to die...we won't mind very much...it's a Southern thing you know. You really should get this book, it's a hoot and it's Southern...! AND, Being Dead is (Really) No Excuse.
I laughed 'til I thought I'd die. March 14, 2005
22 out of 22 found this review helpful
"As I Lay Dying" with recipes and a lot more humor. This exploration of Southern funeral customs is not only funny, but it also confirms that the South is still different from the rest of the country and celebrates those differences. A southern funeral must follow certain forms and the mourners have to tell stories, have a laugh and eat well. You can read it for the description of the folkways and keep it on your shelf for the recipes.
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