At This Dinner Party, Talking About Death With Strangers Isn't Taboo

Source: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/01/02/461635753/at-this-dinner-party-talking-about-death-with-strangers-isn-t-taboo?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=thesalt

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Talking about grief and the loss of a loved one isn’t typically dinner conversation. Many people, even those struggling to cope with loss, will avoid talking about such heavy topics, especially over supper.

But a fledgling nonprofit designs dinners specifically for young adults to get together and talk about their experiences with loss.

In cities across the country, the group The Dinner Party advises 20- and 30-somethings on how to arrange these gatherings.

Some say it’s one of the new ways that young adults, often skeptical of organized religion, are connecting to find meaning in their lives.

At a recent dinner in Boston, it first seemed like any other dinner party. Everyone was putting the last-minute touches on the meal as they waited for all the guests to arrive. They talked easily, even though it was the first time they had met in person.

Rosy Hosking was hosting the dinner in her Jamaica Plain apartment, where she set the table and prepared the main course for her guests.

“I have prepared a ratatouille. It’s very easy, and it’s also vegan,” she said. “So it hits all the plus points of making dinner for people you d…

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