One Grape on the Hour
Friday, December 30, 2005
In southern USA, Hoppin John is the traditional good luck New Year's Day dish (with corn bread, of course). I have tried to honor this tradition each year by cooking, at the very least, black eyed peas & onions for good luck.
To tell the truth, Hoppin John just doesn't do it for me any more....not even the vegan version.
So I looked around to see what other cultures consider "good luck" eats; and here is what I found:
(1) mandarin oranges - Chinese
(2) nuts & raisens - Roman
(3) anything ring-shaped - Dutch
(4) anything sweet - Italian
(5) carp - Vietnamese
(6) cabbage stuffed with oysters - Chinese
(7) cake shaped like a snake - Italian
(8) anything green - everybody ($$$)
(9) one grape every hour on the hour - Spain
(10) seven foods on the table that begin with the letter "S" - Iran
A snake is New Year's good luck because it sheds its skin; hence, we are reminded to shed troubles of the past as we begin the new year).
I have no idea what the deal is with the grapes in Spain. I'm intrigued (but then, I get intrigued easily). So here's my plan, because I really want to load on the luck in 2006.
Main dish must be cabbage(8) stuffed with oysters(6) and carp(5).
Desert is a snake-shaped(7) fruit cake loaded with dried mandarin oranges(1), nuts & raisens(2), topped with green(8) jelly beans(4). The head of the snake cake must be ring-shaped(3), and I think I'll fill the ring with the green(8) grapes that I'll need every hour on the hour(9).
But I still need seven "S's". OK. In the S bowl will be strawberries, squid, syrup, sinnamin (give me a break!), sour cream, sweetbread (ewww), and sauerkraut. Stir it all up reaallllll good....and then give it to a couple of students at North Penn High School.
To tell the truth, Hoppin John just doesn't do it for me any more....not even the vegan version.
So I looked around to see what other cultures consider "good luck" eats; and here is what I found:
(1) mandarin oranges - Chinese
(2) nuts & raisens - Roman
(3) anything ring-shaped - Dutch
(4) anything sweet - Italian
(5) carp - Vietnamese
(6) cabbage stuffed with oysters - Chinese
(7) cake shaped like a snake - Italian
(8) anything green - everybody ($$$)
(9) one grape every hour on the hour - Spain
(10) seven foods on the table that begin with the letter "S" - Iran
A snake is New Year's good luck because it sheds its skin; hence, we are reminded to shed troubles of the past as we begin the new year).
I have no idea what the deal is with the grapes in Spain. I'm intrigued (but then, I get intrigued easily). So here's my plan, because I really want to load on the luck in 2006.
Main dish must be cabbage(8) stuffed with oysters(6) and carp(5).
Desert is a snake-shaped(7) fruit cake loaded with dried mandarin oranges(1), nuts & raisens(2), topped with green(8) jelly beans(4). The head of the snake cake must be ring-shaped(3), and I think I'll fill the ring with the green(8) grapes that I'll need every hour on the hour(9).
But I still need seven "S's". OK. In the S bowl will be strawberries, squid, syrup, sinnamin (give me a break!), sour cream, sweetbread (ewww), and sauerkraut. Stir it all up reaallllll good....and then give it to a couple of students at North Penn High School.
