How To Feed A Friend Who’s Grieving, And Why It Matters
HuffPost
Those who've mourned share the food gifts they still remember today.
Flowers are great. Houseplants are lovely. But, for many of us, the only thing to do when a person we love is hurting is to bring food — either store-bought or home-cooked, but always heartfelt. And even years later, people seem to be able to recall not just a particular food that was given, but all the ways it made us feel cared for at a deep level.
The experience of taking covered dishes, fruit baskets and other delicacies to families in mourning is a familiar one for many people. Chef Rossi, owner and executive chef of New York caterer The Raging Skillet, recalled, “I grew up Jewish, and I used to help my mother bring food to people in mourning. When someone is in mourning and sitting shiva, we bring food — lots and lots of it. It’s edible love.”