Death seems to be a taboo topic in many cultures, especially the conservative Asian cultures. Since death is usually accompanied by fear, sadness and grief, people treat it with awe and cautiously pick the “right words” when confronting other’s death. However, with the sensitivity of this topic, many problems and mess occur after a family member’s death, including the common “property distribution issue” and the child raising responsibility. And it is also important for elders who expect the day to come soon to inform other family members with his last wishes and how he wants his belongings to be taken care of afterwards. All the above reasons suggest that there needs to be special occasion for families to gather and discuss these details.

To solve this problem, Michael Hebb and fellow faculty members at the University of Washington created a program called “Let’s Have Dinner and Talk About Death”. To many people who just heard about this program, it sounds like a ridiculous and bizarre idea. However, this program still has its targeting market. Nowadays there are open-minded families who want to sit down and settle things down together. Talking about preference of funeral with an elder may seem disrespectful, and yet it is out of love and respect to take care of things the way the “leaving people” want. And some great food at the table may help enlighten people and relieve the negative feeling around the depressing topic. It is a better occasion to have the conversation than doing it at home.

http://www.policymic.com/articles/66261/this-is-the-most-important-dinner-party-you-ll-ever-attend