Rallygirl's Dumb Questions About Regional Differences Thread

[TomStrong]

Here in the South and especially the rural south there is a visitation the night before the funeral and in some places, and I've been to some they still "sit up with the dead". Ray Stephens did a fairly comical song about it. Members of the family will sit up all night in the church with the deceased until services begin the next day. When my wife was little she lived in a very rural place and the deceased was laid out on the kitchen table the night before the funeral service and the wake was held in the home! People in the south especially old school Protestants will descend in droves upon the home of the deceased with food and long lost relatives and pictures and anything else that May or may not be appropriate. I've seen it.
We were the only Catholics in our family and when my parents passed everybody that ever knew them not only came to the visitation but also to my house periodically before and after the services; and we didn't have the funeral mass for them I just the traditional interment at graveside. I was left with more casseroles tha I knew what to do with. It was my first experience with the connection between food and death in the South. I realized people's hearts were in the right place but at it was bit overwhelming and still is.

[piecemaker]

My Grandma on my Moms side died when i was a teenager.Her visitation was at her house.It was strange seeing her in a casket sitting in the middle of her living room.

[HardyGirl]

Well, I've never been to a funeral, (only 2 memorial services), and I don't plan to. When my mom died, the Women's League had the repast in the church's multi-purpose hall. They all cooked and cleaned up, and my brother brought home the leftovers.

[ScottA]

When my Uncle passed a few years ago they laid his body In state at my Aunts house the night before the actual funeral. All his children spent the night there with them. We then had the funeral at the church and a graveside service as well. I was a pall bearer. I can't say every body does it that way and I doubt I'll do that when my parents pass. But that's the way my Grandparents generation did it.

Afterwards we all came back to her house and ate. People brought more food than my Aunt could ever eat. It's just the way here.

[Rallygirl]

Next question - I was just reading on another forum about a store clerk getting angry over receiving Canadian change as payment. Is it only because I live a short drive from Canada that using Canadian change is no big deal here? I just checked my change purse, I have thirty two coins in it and four of them are Canadian. With the exception of a few vending machines, nobody here would think twice about accepting Canadian change.

[cjefferys]

Yeah, I ran into that the first time I went to Florida. Some cashiers would complain if I gave them a few Canadian pennies when I paid for something. Oh noes, I tried to rip them off by almost half a cent!

[z3zep]

Yeah, Canadian coins annoy me since I can't use them in vending machines and/or stores won't take them. ^^ not pennies, I hate all pennies US included

[Mikey]

No disrespect to Canadians but most shopkeepers here in PA treat Canadian coins as if you are trying to pass them a slug.

I think Canadian coins are neat but for value, they're worth the same as Monopoly money around these parts

[m0redaniel]

Lol it's about the same in Canada. A 6 inch figure goes for close to 30.00 here, a two pack is 54.99 with tax and 13% Ontario sales tax its 62.00.