Bizarre Changes in My Hometown

I moved away from Hampton Roads years ago and only visit occasionally to see family. Parts of Hampton are still quite charming, and even an improvement over what I left behind when I moved away- The new Peninsula Town Center, for instance, is a wonderful replacement for the decrepit Coliseum Mall, and revitalized downtown Hampton and the Queen Street strip is a welcome new addition, and the Saturday Night street parties in the summer are a big incentive to get me to come home to visit. Yet for every improvement, there are also bizarre declinations as well. Take the case of the old Ryan’s Grill and Buffet on Todd’s Lane.

Now this former restaurant has closed. Out of business. But they are still cooking stuff in this building, because now its called the Berceuse Funeral & Cremation center. A “berceuse” is a type of music in 6/8 time similar to a lullaby, and while I suppose that is a fine name for someone taking an eternal dirtnap, it is still shocking to see a corner lot former restaurant that is now a crematorium. And this is a residential neighborhood too; a bit on the low-income urban side (black), but a residential neighborhood nonetheless.

I have seen many funeral homes, and they come in all shapes and sizes. I’ve seen converted Victorian mansions as a funeral home, solemn brickfront buildings, and even a converted schoolhouse- but I have yet to see a funeral home that uses a cruddy buffet-style restaurant until now. And being Hampton, it is both saddening and unsurprising.