It's interesting what people do on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day to celebrate the new year. Especially interesting are the food traditions.
Just recently I have learned that there are more traditions than the black-eyed peas and hog jowls that I grew up with in the South... not that I ate it very often!!
Being a Southerner who has a husband who does not like black-eyed peas and knowing that the tradition centers around there being a direct link between the number of peas eaten and the amount of wealth that comes to you in that year, I have adapter this tradition to beans in general. So, we have beans with the belief that any pea or bean can impart the same magic for attracting coin relative to the number eaten.
In Maryland there is a tradition of sour kraut and sausage... yum. Wouldn't mind being there for New Year's.
Another German tradition explained to me by my Midwestern friends is Spreckendicken (not that any of us can spell it!!) It is a pancake flavored with anise and laced with sausage. May have to try these now that I live among the Midwesterners.
So, no matter the tradition you celebrate, may you enjoy the beginning of this new year. Remember, today is 1/1/11. A new start!!
