Dinner Party For People Who Have Lost A Loved One?

June 25, 2017 9:04 PM

Hi HiveMind, a while ago I found an online guide to hosting a type of dinner party for grief, where everyone brings a photo of someone close to them who has passed away and also brings their favorite food and drink. The point is to share memories about loved ones, while participating in a sensory and bread-breaking activity. I cannot find this guide anywhere for the life of me... Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

- This is not "thedinnerparty.org" -- it was a guide to holding your own party with your own friends
- I believe the article explicitly says, the food and drinks will be all mixed up and won't necessarily "match"
- Maybe I'm messing up my results by Googling "dinner party"? Maybe it was another phrase for this type of shared meal
- It *might* have had something to do with Dia de Los Muertos?

Thanks for any help!!!

posted by rogerrogerwhatsyourrvectorvicto to Human Relations (3 answers total)

I'm not sure what you're actually asking for here? But in any case, I went to something like this, organised by the local palliative care organisation after my mum passed away in September 2014. Everyone invited had lost their loved one in that same month (and the event was in January 2015), so everyone was (in theory, although the reality may be a lot different) at around the same point in their grief journey. Everyone was encouraged to share some memories of their loved one, and then a meal was had afterwards.
posted by ryanbryan at 9:33 PM on June 25, 2017

Response by poster: Thanks ryanbryan -- what I'm asking for is, if anyone can find a link to a specific guide for this type of structured "dinner party" for lack of a better phrase. This online guide had directions on the structure, and definitely talked about food, drink, etc. that each person would bring that were the favorites of the loved ones who had passed. So it would end up being this really mixed-up potluck with all of these unrelated foods.
posted by rogerrogerwhatsyourrvectorvicto at 10:18 PM on June 25, 2017

Response by poster: Oh man, I found it!! Ha. Answered my own question. It's called Dinner With The Dead.

"A Day of the Dead Dinner is a wonderful ritual, created by artists Rachel Rose Reid and Pablo Villierezz, where everyone brings a beloved dead person to a feast, gathering together to share their flavours and stories and to honour their memory."
posted by rogerrogerwhatsyourrvectorvicto at 10:21 PM on June 25, 2017 [6 favorites]