Ohhhh, I see it has been a long time since my last post... September! I have been busy. Soon I will get busy with more writing.
Here is something for now. This was originally published in 2005, but it is fitting for this week.

New Year Food Traditions

Most countries and cultures have some traditional foods that are eaten on New Year’s eve or New Year’s day. Most of the foods somehow symbolize prosperity or luck for the coming year. Here is a list of some of those traditional foods. I suppose if we wanted to be really lucky and really rich we could try all of them.

Japan, Buddhist temples: Eat noodles at midnight

Germany: Cabbage and sausages on New Year’s day for good luck

Denmark: Boiled cod

Greece: Bread with a coin baked into it. The person who gets the coin has good luck for the coming year (that is if he doesn’t bite the coin, in which case he might be spending a lot of money at the dentist, which is NOT good luck)

Italy: They also play the “hide something in the bread” game, but it is a bean.

Germany and Poland: The first bite of the New Year should be pickled herring for a lucky year.

Cuba and Mexico and probably some other latin countries: Twelve grapes are eaten at midnight to symbolize the last 12 months.

Southern United States: Black eyed peas for luck and greens (collard, mustard, kale, cabbage, spinach) for money. Cornbread also brings money

Phillipines: It is important to have food on the table at midnight to insure abundance for the coming year.

I would like to wish all of you a very happy 2012, complete with good health, love, beauty, laughter, music and all other good things!