Eat, Drink, and Be Buried
Eat, Drink, and Be Buried is a podcast about New Orleans' Cultures, Customs, and Curiosities. It covers interviews with everyone from gravediggers, tomb builders, burlesque dancers, Mardi Gras Indians, and more. It also features deeper dives into historical stories that you may or may not know about.
Eat, Drink, & Be Buried is hosted by photographer and award-winning writer Sally Asher. She is also the owner and operator of Red Sash Tours.
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Episodes
Tuesday Sep 02, 2025
Tuesday Sep 02, 2025
Part two of a three-part series entitled “Interview with a Gravedigger” with New Orleans' city gravedigger, sexton of Greenwood and Cypress Grove Cemeteries, and owner of NOLA Cemetery Renewal LLC, Nick Black. Listener discretion is advised. This episode deals with some topics that some might find troubling. Nick talks about, among other things, what happens when they need to move a body that has not fully decomposed, how you move a body inside a tomb, what occurs when a tomb is full, and how opening every tomb in New Orleans is a lesson in troubleshooting. This is intended for mature audiences only
Tuesday Aug 26, 2025
Tuesday Aug 26, 2025
I sat down with New Orleans native Nick Black who is the contracted gravedigger for the city's cemeteries, as well as the sexton of Greenwood and Cypress Grove Cemeteries, and the owner of NOLA Cemetery Renewal LLC.
Nick discusses, among other things, the often-disturbing tradition of New Orleans’ burials, including the process of digging a grave, how New Orleans’ water table effects the body’s decomposition, and the challenges with moving a decomposed body.
Announcer Donald Lewis. Opening credit music "Buttermilk Drop" courtesy of Katy Hobgood Ray & The Confetti Park Players.