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On New Years Eve the hubster researched good luck foods on the Internet. You know, the foods that we traditionally eat for good luck on New Years Day. Being originally from Maryland we were always taught that black-eyed peas were the lucky food you should eat on New Years day in order to have good luck for the rest of the year. But here in the Midwest we see cabbages being touted as the thing to eat. Thus, we decided to go to the leading authority on any subject; the Internet.

What we found was quite interesting. You should eat pork on New Years day because a pig "roots" for his foot, which is a forward motion movement. Therefore you will move forward during the New Year. Now if you ate chicken on New Years Day you just screwed up your new year because a chicken "scratches" in the dirt for it's food which is a backward sort of movement. Therefore had you eaten chicken (like we did on New Years Day 2008) your entire year would be spent going backward (like our 2008 was).

Cabbage indicates money, thus to eat cabbage on New Years Day means money will flow towards you in the New Year.


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Black-eyed peas for some reason indicate coins, therefore your coffers will be ample in the New Year and you will prosper.


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Greens are also a good food to eat, once again because of the money thing. Greens are green, the same as paper money (at least American paper money), thus it is the same as cabbage and money will flow towards you in the New Year. Greens indicate prosperity.

The gold color of cornbread indicates money as well and means prosperity.
Noodles are also good. That explains why the Chinese eat them on New Years Eve and New Years Day. Now that just pisses me off though, because the hubster and I went out for a nice Chinese dinner on New Years Eve but we neglected to order noodles. We didn't read the noodles reference until after New Years. Drat, that was extra luck we could have had.

Some Hispanic cultures recommend eating 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight. You eat one grape for every strike of the clock at midnight. Again, we did not know that until well after the fact so we neglected to eat grapes. BUT we did have sparkling grape cider at the stroke of midnight, so shouldn't that count for something?
2008 was our worst year yet and I attribute it to our having not eaten black-eyed peas on New Years Day. We were traveling at the time and were out of town. If I had known what a crappy year it was going to be I would have gone to a grocery store, bought a can of black eyed peas and eaten them right out of the can, cold and all.
All in all, I am hopeful for 2009 because we did eat our fair share of good luck foods on New Years Day. We spent all afternoon in the kitchen cooking together (also a good luck move). We made spiral sliced ham with a honey glaze (honey being golden – thus money, ham meaning to move forward in the new year), collard greens slow cooked the southern way with a ham hock, candied sweet potatoes, cornbread, black eyed peas also slow cooked with a ham hock, and pumpkin pie. We may have gained ten pounds on New Years day from all the fat laden foods we ate, but by golly they were all good luck foods!

Here's to a happy and prosperous 2009 for us all!