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Being Dead Is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies Guide To Hosting the Perfect Funeral |  | Authors: Gayden Metcalfe, Charlotte Hays
Publisher: Miramax
Category: Book
List Price: $21.99
Buy Used: $3.52
as of 9/5/2010 00:42 CDT details
You Save: $18.47 (84%)
New (51) Used (63) Collectible (1) from $3.52
Seller: HPB-Outlet
Rating:  109 reviews
Sales Rank: 38290
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 272
Number Of Items: 1
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
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| • | ISBN13: 9781401359348 | | • | Condition: New | | • | Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed |
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 109
 THAT'S WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE SOUTH ! March 30, 2005
Gail Cooke (TX, USA)
58 out of 60 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
I laughed 'til I thought I'd die. March 14, 2005
John Sartoris
25 out of 25 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.
Yummy! April 1, 2006
suzy streckfus (Baton Rouge La)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I liked this so much I bought 5 extra for gifts! Recipes are wonderful and book is delightful! I've made several of the dishes in it & they are great.When people ask for a recipe that comes from this book, I just tell them "It's a gift from the dead"..and we all have a laugh...and then they go buy the book!I love it to just read too!
Take it From Me June 3, 2005
Joyce Naron (Memphis, TN)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
I'm a former Greenvillian, a long-time AA member, but alas, not Episcopalian.Two out of three ain't bad, so I feel qualified to testify that this book nails the quirky yet genteel personality of the Mississipi Delta. Truth, being stranger than fiction makes for howling, southern gothic comedy. Gayden Metcalfe is not exaggerating! The recipies for the funeral fare made me want to break out the pots and pans!
Plenty of social and cultural insights throughout May 9, 2005
Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Southern life and death receive close inspection and a healthy dose of humor in Being Dead Is No Excuse; The Official Southern Ladies Guide To Hosting The Perfect Funeral.. Traditional Southern recipes for casseroles, relishes, and 'funeral and wake food' dish up a healthy (or unhealthy, at times) dose of authentic Southern cooking and observation mixed with a pinch of humor. Plenty of social and cultural insights throughout.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 109
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