Being Dead is No Excuse - Metcalfe & Hays

Folks in the Delta have a strong sense of community, and being dead is no impediment to belonging to it. Down south, they don't forget you when you've up and died--in fact, they visit you more often. But there are quintessential rules and rituals for kicking the bucket tastefully, and having a flawless funeral is one of them.

In this dishy collection of Southern humor and recipes, inveterate hostess and southern belle Gayden Metcalfe explains everything you need to know to throw a proper Southern funeral, such as:

• Can you be properly buried without tomato aspic?
• Who prepares better funeral fare, the Episcopal ladies or the Methodist ladies?
• And what does one do when a family gets three sheets to the wind and eats the entire feast the night before a funeral?

Each chapter includes an authentic Southern recipe you'll need if you plan to die tastefully any time soon, including Pickled Shrimp, Aunt Hebe's Coconut Cake, and the ubiquitous Bing Cherry Salad with Coca-Cola. Even if you've never been south of Rochester, this book will charm, it will entertain, and it will give you all the ingredients for the perfect southern send-off.