Tuesday, January 1, 2013

French Food Groups And The Luck Of The Black Eyed Peas On New Year's Day

I was just leaving a comment on a cute Australian blog and realized that I was including a bit of my life's philosophy, that I am sure is original and deserved to be written here too.  In short, since my mother is French, we think of wine and spirits as just another food group.  No one would eat a whole cube of butter, so why would anyone dream of drinking an entire bottle of Gin.  But if you had to drink that bottle of gin, eating that cube of butter first would be medicinal.  Seriously!
Since I'm on the subject of food that you have to eat, did everyone have their Black Eyed Peas for luck today?  My daughter did, since she specifically asked for the quick method of soaking dried ones.  (Boil  for one minute, leave to soak for one hour, and then change to cool water and boil for up to an hour, until tender.)  One of my sons asked where to find them in the grocery store.  (Three places: Canned Vegetable section, Frozen Vegetable section, or Dried Bean section.)  Good Times!

10 comments:

  1. Haven't heard of the black eyed peas for luck, which is just as well because I don't know where to buy them either!
    In fact, I am not sure I have ever eaten them - shame on me!
    A big declutter for the new year today will have to suffice for good luck in 2013.

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  2. We had our black eyed peas with cornbread! Silly me, I forgot to add the ham scraps, but they went into the leftovers, so the soup will be even better! Funny, I used to hate beans, Mom had to 'make' me eat 3 (her minimum) for my good luck; now I love them!

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  3. I've heard of the black eyed peas for luck tradition but we didn't follow it. Instead we had split pea soup with the ham bone left over from Christmas dinner. Does that count?

    Darla

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  4. Sad to report I did not eat my black-eyed peas. I bought them (does that count?) and planned to cook them, along with the hog jowl and greens but my husband does not like that meal so we ate pizza instead. I grew up eating that meal on New Years Day and feel "guilty" if I don't now. Could I eat it today or am I doomed?

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  5. Hi Patricia - Do you think they might have a different name in Australia?

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  6. Hi Shelley - That was our meal last night, too. I love cornbread with all the beans! The 3 minimum is a number I remember too. Wonder where it comes from, but I suspect with its closeness to Christmas it has a religious significance.

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  7. Hi Darla - When we drove from Sacramento back to Orange County after Christmas, we stopped at Andersen's, for their famous pea soup. Now that I'm back in Tulsa, I wish I had some to warm me up! Maybe it counts, but with the peas all smooched up, how do you count the three, like Shelley's mother?

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  8. Oh Sanda, of course you're not "doomed", but you missed out on guaranteeing prosperity. Next year just cook the beans and throw a few on your slices of pizza. That probably what my sons do!

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  9. Down south, people used to eat black eyed peas, collard greens, and ham hocks for luck on New Years. I myself cannot tolerate any of the above. I am a picky, picky eater.

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  10. Hi Debbi - So what does a picky, picky eater have for luck on New Years? I, myself, would be a little happier if luck came from eating fluffy mashed potatoes and peanut butter pie.

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