taste

What a shame! There is nothing better than the good old "funeral hotdish". In my area, that is the rice with the cream of whatever soup, browned hamburger, and celery and onions, baked together into a pile of creamy, savory goodness. We are always disappointed when the funeral hotdish has run out!

I agree with amenk. I also love the pastel colored fruity fluff that I only eat in church basements.

I understand that it's not always the lack of people to prepare the food, but rather the requirement for all food prep kitchens to be inspected once a year. When those food prep kitchens become private homes, then that requirement simply is unreasonable, thus churches are turning to caterers.

The funeral homes here refuse to allow home-made goods to be brought into their facilities for funeral luncheons. According to them, new state laws say that food brought in ans served at a funeral home must be catered. That includes cookies and sandwiches.

amenk and jenyuki: Don't forget the cold tuna salad with peas! Time for a change...bring on the caterer.

I think catering is a great option for those who don't have a church community to support their family during a tough time. However, a funeral luncheon is communal and allows one's family and friends to "do something" for you. Unfortunately, I've been to a number of funerals lately. There has been a combination of foodie items and the ubiquitous ham bun.

Its sad that we either dont have the time or just wont put the effort into making or getting together to make a meal when a loved on is going through a loss.

This is not new. My husband died in 1999 and I was told by his church who to order the food from and what to order. There were no "church ladies" that did this for free. The "church ladies" were in the reception room and I was billed for the use of the room, use of the church dishes, silverware, etc and the time the "church ladies" spent on the reception. There was also a time limit on when we could be in the reception hall so I did not get a chance to personally speak to everyone. I have talked to others and I believe this is normal, a least in the metro area. When my father died in 2006 we held the reception at a local service club facility and it was much better for everyone. I would avoid a church setting if there is a choice. Check out the local VFW, Elks, etc.

I can understand how catering can be a good option for funerals, but china, linens, flowers, candles, wine & DJ?? It's starting to sound more like a wedding reception. If I was burying a loved one, I would not want to host such an expensive, fancy spread under the assumption that people are apparently too picky to eat regular food. It seems like the funeral industry is trying to match the wedding industry in extravagance.

Bringing food to the deceased's home after the funeral needs to stop - grieving family members need alone time, and don't need a parade of acquaintances with old cold cuts & leftovers at the door.