Food can tell you a lot about culture. The food served in American funerals are usually comfort food. I'll use Chinese funerals as a comparison since I'm mostly familiar with those. Chinese funerals and mourning period is all about the food. Outsiders might even confuse one for a celebration. We take a roasted pig to the grave site and eat it there. A lot of candy is passed around to "sweeten" the bitterness. There's more symbolism behind the food served in Chinese funerals.