Thread: Happy New Year

Originally Posted by JohnnyYuma

Don't forget the Black Eyed Peas.

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase ... d%3A718923

Darn I had Black Eyed Pea's yesterday mixed in rice

Beyond Black-Eyed Peas
New Year's good-luck foods
BY MICK VANN

Illustration by Leah Sharpe

For as long as I can remember, I have never let a new year begin without consuming the traditional Southern good-luck triad of peas with pork, greens, and cornbread. "Peas for pennies, greens for dollars, and cornbread for gold," said the old expression. "Eat poor on New Year's, and eat fat the rest of the year," echoed the refrain. This practice was learned at the family table, handed down for generations. Over the years, I've learned subtle variations on what I believed – for example, a penny should be placed under each person's bowl of black-eyed peas to boost the luck potential. Hog jowl should cook with the peas and smoked bacon with the collards; more pork equals more luck. Some golden cheese and bits of corn in the cornbread intensifies the prospects. As I learned more about world cuisines through the years, it became apparent that every culture has its own traditions of good-luck foods, meant to ensure abundance and prosperity in the coming year. When you examine the different rules around the world, similarities begin to emerge.

One thing to consider is that the dates of the celebrations change around the world, whether New Year's is based on the calendar used, on harvest or seasonal dates, or on religious influence. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, is in the fall. Buddhist countries vary widely. In Theravadin Buddhist countries (Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, CamÂ*bodia, Laos), the new year is celebrated in April. That's the hottest part of their year, an ideal time to purify deities and splash a lot of water on each other in the process. Tibetan BudÂ*dhists generally celebrate it in March, and in Mahayana Buddhist countries, the new year usually starts on the first full moon day in JanÂ*uÂ*ary. In Iran it's usually celebrated on March 21.

Most of the good-luck foods around the world are supposed to be eaten on New Year's Day, not New Year's Eve (although the seconds right after midnight are considered fair game). In the Philippines, you need to have the table covered with as many dishes as possible at the stroke of midnight. The intent is for the good-luck dishes to be the first thing eaten right from the start, setting the standard and providing luck for the coming year. Regardless of the date used, the first day of the new year is a time of celebration and propitious food.

Darn I had Black Eyed Pea's yesterday mixed in rice

Originally Posted by April

Darn I had Black Eyed Pea's yesterday mixed in rice

Leave it to me to screw up and eat my good luck a day early!

Originally Posted by SOSADFORUS

Originally Posted by April

Darn I had Black Eyed Pea's yesterday mixed in rice

Leave it to me to screw up and eat my good luck a day early!

Better to eat it early than not at all and SOSAD, anyway you are stocked up on luck. You have those fuzzy slippers .....remember?

Originally Posted by April

Originally Posted by SOSADFORUS

Originally Posted by April

Darn I had Black Eyed Pea's yesterday mixed in rice

Leave it to me to screw up and eat my good luck a day early!

Better to eat it early than not at all and SOSAD, anyway you are stocked up on luck. You have those fuzzy slippers .....remember?

forgot about those