The Cafe series isn't the only example of a growing movement to bring people together in order to stimulate a discussion about this still fairly taboo topic. Death Over Dinner and The Conversation Project similarly provide an interdisciplinary approach to the tough discussion by providing web tool kits to help guide the discussion over a meal. Last October in Los Angeles, Death Salon director Megan Rosenbloom gathered a roster of artists, academics, and death industry professionals for a well attended series of events that ranged from historical and medical discussions to musical performances, all revolving around the topic of our mortality.

Death Salon director & co-founder Megan Rosenbloom. Photo: Elli & Polly Photography

"People want to talk about death, but they don't know how to do it, because it's been a taboo subject for so long," Rosenbloom wrote recently. Rosenbloom, a librarian and historian herself, is part of a collective called The Order of the Good Death. Its members come from a variety of backgrounds, all sharing an interest in society's relationship with mortality, rituals of death and grieving, and its interpretation in all forms of art and media. Fashion designer Pia Interlandi, for instance, focused her doctoral research on textile projects relating to death and burial, including designing dissoluble garments. The Order's founder Caitlin Doughty hosts a web series called "Ask a Mortician", helping demystify her work and the industry in general with humor.

In a lot of cases, bringing up the topic of death, whether as an abstract concept or a specific personal experience, can be a challenge. But whether you are suddenly overcome with awareness of your own -- hopefully not too imminent -- demise, or the loss of a loved one, not talking about it doesn't make it go away. And discussing our mortality can actually be a reminder of all the things we have to enjoy in the present moment.

Towards the end of our evening at the Zen Hospice Project, several people found themselves in tears, for the first time able to verbalize their complicated feelings about the recent deaths they've experienced in their lives, as well as the anticipatory grief they've been carrying over loved ones who are nearing their end. The sense of relief around the room was palpable, the participants feeling supported by the reminder that we're all in this together. Events like Death Cafe aren't meant to be -- and shouldn't be -- a substitute for grief counseling, but they go in tandem, giving us an opportunity to learn how to coexist with the idea of this eventuality. And having cake while doing this soul searching definitely doesn't hurt.

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Let's Talk About Death: Shattering the Taboo