Can Tomato Tarts Heal Grieving Hearts?
At this dinner party, we’re inviting grief to the table
On a hot summer evening last year, I pulled a tomato tart out of the oven. With high hopes and crossed fingers, I peeked beneath the foil.
It smelled delicious. Thanks, Samin Nosrat, we nailed it. The tomato tart was for an event I was attending called The Dinner Party, yet it wasn’t quite the type of dinner party that might stir up images of champagne bottles being popped or fanciful desserts being passed around.
Instead, this particular dinner party was more likely to conjure images of hospital walls and funeral processions, bleak days and sleepless nights. The Dinner Party, after all, was a place for grieving.
Yes, this was a dinner party specifically for grieving. Pull up a chair, and I’ll tell you more.
The Dinner Party is an organization created for 20- and 30-somethings who have experienced a significant loss in their life, whether it’s a parent, partner, child, sibling or close friend. The loss might have occurred in childhood, or it might be more recent. Either way, it’s a club none of us ever wanted to join, but one we found ourselves in nonetheless.
With “dinner tables” in nearly 100 cities around the world, including Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati, the attendees-aka Dinner…
