Grief calls for food in every culture. Friends arriving with bread, lasagna, brown paper grocery bags of fancy deli treats — it’s a helpful, practical act, but also a loving reminder that we are not alone.

Maybe we bring food because words are so inadequate when dealing with death, whether you’re trying to offer sympathy to someone hurting after a loss or trying to express your own grief. Bringing food also offers an excuse for a quick face-to-face moment — to offer a hug, hear a story, or help with a task that needs to be done.

I received a call from Rose McGee at the Minnesota Humanities Cen...