- [Interviewer] Do you believe in spirits?
- Yeah.
Like, I have this body but maybe inside, I'm an adult man.
(playful music)
- [Interviewer] Hey!
- Hello.
- [Interviewer] Do you know what we're here to talk about?
- No.
- [Interviewer] It's related to death.
We're gonna have you eat funeral food from around the world.
- That's why I'm wearing black and white.
- I'm scared.
- [Interviewer] Why are you scared?
- I'm scared the food might be sad.
- [Interviewer] Are you afraid of dying?
- Of course I am!
Everybody is.
- No, not really, because I will be reformed
or I'll stay in the underworld for all eternity
which is pretty cool, I guess.
- [Interviewer] Open your eyes.
- That looks like sort of like a cake.
- Why? - Here you go.
- Is it like a cake?
- [Interviewer] Be careful.
- For the deceased.
- [Interviewer] Yeah, the family of the deceased
makes this together and it's a mixture of grains
and seeds sweetened with honey or sugar.
- What's the white stuff, the powdery white stuff?
- [Interviewer] Powdered sugar.
- Yes!
- Mm.
- I can't actually bite down.
- Wait, they're almonds.
They're like colored almonds.
- It looks like a cross.
- [Interviewer] It is, that's a cross.
So, the grains symbolize everlasting life.
The raisins in it, they represent life's sweetness.
- And wrinkles?
'Cause raisins are wrinkly.
- Num, num, num, num.
It tastes strange.
- [Interviewer] I'm gonna take that dish away.
You didn't seem to be the biggest fan of that.
What do you think happens after someone dies?
- When people die, they go to a place
like the underworld.
- They might go to heaven or a different place.
- [Interviewer] What's the different place?
- Hell.
Heaven is up, hell is down.
If they're bad, they go down.
What is this?
Hm, this looks strange.
- [Interviewer] There's bone in there, so be careful.
So that's goat, you just ate some goat.
- Goat.
Why'd you do this to poor goats?
- [Interviewer] In Jamaica, they celebrate the deceased
on the next night after they passed away
and the idea is on the ninth night, they believe the spirit
will eat some of the food.
- It's complicated.
- [Interviewer] It is complicated.
When they lay out the food on the table,
no one is allowed to eat it until midnight
because it's for the spirit.
- Hm?
Is this shoot gonna go on til midnight?
- [Interviewer] Did you eat some of that food?
- Yes?
- [Interviewer] I hope the spirit's not angry.
You weren't supposed to eat that.
It's for the spirit.
- Heck naw, I'm hungry!
- [Interviewer] Open.
- Eggs!
- Eggs?
Why do they eat eggs?
- Is this eggs?
- [Interviewer] Yeah.
(cracking)
- Why is it like that?
It's not supposed to be like that.
- [Interviewer] That's what happens when you boil an egg
for hours and hours.
- Ehh.
- Cool!
It looks different but delicious!
- Um, why is it--
- [Interviewer] This is a really ancient technique.
- Ancient?
- [Interviewer] A very old technique
of boiling an egg. - So, this is old food?
- [Interviewer] So, after a Jewish person is laid to rest,
a family will partake in a first meal.
- Definitely not my favorite dish.
- It's kind of bittersweet.
Inside, it tastes like a nutty meat.
- It tastes like ham, yum.
(interviewer laughs)
- Oh!
That looks like macaroni and cheese.
- [Interviewer] Do you have any Mormon friends?
- What?
- [Interviewer] Do you know any Mormons?
- Mormons?
- What am I looking at?
- [Interviewer] Mormon funeral potatoes.
It's got potatoes and creamy sauce and--
- What's this?
- [Interviewer] Cornflakes on top.
- Cornflakes!
What the--
- That's cereal?
- [Interviewer] Yeah, it's cornflakes.
- Num, num, num, num.
- It does taste really good.
I should get some Mormon friends.
- Ah!
- Whoa.
- [Interviewer] Who is that?
- My cat.
She got ran over by a car/truck.
- [Interviewer] This is Pan de muerto
and this is something you would have on Dia de los Muertos
and it's to be shared as an offering to the spirit
of loved ones.
- This one right here is Aunt Sue.
She died when I was six.
Aunt Sue, that's for you.
- This is for you.
I love you.
- This is Ming Ming.
Ming Ming was a cat that loves oranges, oranges and grapes.
- [Interviewer] Do you wanna offer some of
the food to your cat?
- Here is some for you, Ming Ming.
Come back, we miss you!
- [Interviewer] All right, how was this?
- It was fun.
- Should we talk about death more often?
- Yeah, it's part of life.
It's really on your mind, you should talk about it
to get it outta your system and then you'll feel
more loose about it, like loose.