Funerals, Flights, and Films*, Part One

Our long and eventful weekend of funerals, flights, and films began Thursday morning with a flight to Detroit Rock City. While traveling to major cities with real ethnic food and culture usually gets us excited, this trip was for a not-so-joyous reason. As mentioned in previous posts, R's grandmother passed earlier in the week and we were doing what family does which is pay our respects no matter the distance.

That evening with some family, we were able to enjoy some of the tastiest of that ethnic food at Priya's. Everyone ordered their dish Thali style which includes naan, various side dishes, and rice served in metal bowls and tray. Since no one ever orders vegetables in this group, R and I volunteered to order the palak paneer and okra fry. We passed the veggie, lamb, and chicken dishes around in order to enjoy an assortment of flavors. The food was excellent and made me long for better Indian food to come to COMO, like we had in Columbus. The mango lassi was among the best I've had.

The following day found us spending our time at a wake. It's one thing to attend someone's wake/viewing and it's another thing being a part of the family. When you're part of the family, you spend the day at the funeral home, awkwardly navigating through conversations with people you see once or twice a year. For much of the day, I was on nephew watch as my brother-in-law visited with family.

The most intriguing part of the funeral home was this very odd lounge in the basement. Just past the two-story waterfall and goldfish pool, was what can only be described as a sort of green room. Now, when I write "green room" I don't mean the space where performers await their turn on stage. I'm talking about a room with lawn furniture, green carpeting between brick walkways, and vine-covered trellises painted on the walls. Personally, I would not find this very comforting in a time of loss.

We were able to take a break from the green room and wake with some family across the street at Kirby's Coney Island. I won't go into great detail except to say that it is never a good idea to eat two Coney dogs in one sitting. Although, R's uncle ate three and was bugging a three-year-old for his hot dog.

The following morning we were right back at the funeral home for the actual funeral. It was a nice ceremony. It was short, sweet, and to the point, unusual for a Catholic anything. We quickly said our good-byes and made a break for the airport and a noon take-off.

The flight was delayed about twenty minutes when we arrived at the airport. It seems that four inches of snow only slows down some cities instead of completely shutting them down...like some places I know. So, we had time to breath and to consider what our return to COMO had in store for us...

To be continued.

*Title Credit: My partner, R, wanted me to be sure to give her credit for this post title.