The sign outside Tita''s says "Mexican Home Cooking," and the family that runs the place takes that simple slogan seriously. The dining room is cozy and bright with windows opening into a little Carmel courtyard. The waiters and bussers--all apparently members of the family--are casual, open…

Most Americans are not forced to come into contact with death very often. We place our sick and dying in hospitals and we shunt our elderly into retirement homes. Many of us have moved far away from parents and grandparents, avoiding the spectacle of our loved ones growing old and dying.

His shaved head glistening with sweat, an intense scowl on his face, Greg McElroy, lead singer for Sally''s Gap, drove into the front row of dancers like a warrior poet leading his troops into battle. The young audience responded with enthusiasm to this performance at Britannia Arms a couple…