Maybe we didn't eat enough noodles the last time New Year's Day rolled around, and that's what was wrong with 2020.  More noodles this time!  And black-eyed peas of course.

Working Black-eyed Peas into meals on New Year's Day is a Southern tradition, and it's really great if they are on a chip with some hot sauce.  Texas Caviar happens every New Year's Day at my house, and there's so much stuff mixed together the black-eyed peas are totally buried, but they're in there.  It's black beans and pinto beans, chopped bell peppers, and celery, and it's all soaked in a vinegar/sugar mix that tastes great on a Frito.

If you're not in the mood for Black-eyed Peas this year, there are plenty of other foods that are also supposed to bring luck and prosperity in the new year.

Traditional foods for luck on New Year's Day:

Pork -  Pork can be rich and fatty, which doesn't seem all that lucky, but that's exactly what makes it lucky and even luxurious.  Pork has come to symbolize wealth and prosperity because it doesn't hold back, and it appreciates its own excess.  If we really pig out, and we'll have a great new year it seems.

Lentils - These tiny beans are flat, and Italians eat them on the first day of the year because they think they look like Roman coins. And they always seem to be at the top of the lists of healthy superfoods, so we can't go wrong.

Noodles - Noodles are long, so we're supposed to eat them on New Year's Day to symbolize a long life.  But don't cut them or break them in the pot or on your plate because they've got to reach your mouth unbroken to provide the full effect.

Black-eyed Peas - Some say Black-eyed Peas have a mystical or magical power to bring good luck, and our ancestors have been eating them for luck for a thousand years or more.  It is pretty mysterious how that black dot gets into the round crease as it does, right?  A small miracle.  Black-eyed peas will be worked into rice dishes, served on chips, and made into soups on New Year's Day.

Greens - Collards and more.  Green is the color of money, and other things tied to luck like jade and four-leaf clovers.  So eating greens on New Year's Day will be lucky too.  If only green M&Ms were just as magical.

Other foods like grapes and pomegranates are also supposed to be lucky on New Year's Day.  And cake too.  We've got options.

If you put all of these things together you've got a pretty awesome buffet, so go nuts and that will lead us all to a great 2021.  Happy New Year!

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