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Thursday, January 2, 2014

New Year's Day Traditions and Snapshots

I don't know what you eat on New Year's Day, but I always eat a traditional Southern meal prepared by my aunt.  Each dish represents a different attribute and eating them is supposed to bring more:
Black-eyed peas for good fortune
White rice for health and greens for prosperity and wealth
Hog jowl (or pork in general) for health, wealth and continued prosperity
Cornbread represents gold, and my aunt makes a fabulous Mexican version
Hog jowl can be hard to find except at this time of year, but it tastes like thick slices of bacon and is to die for.  It's usually used to season beans or greens, but if you ever get a chance for some fried slices, don't pass it up!  After lunch I walked around the yard and snapped a few shots of things that interested me.
Driftwood sculpture
I love how one eye is lopsided.
Southern Zen
Camellia's are in bloom, and I love this blue tinged variety.
So today my lengthy holiday break is over and I'm back at work, but I ate enough luck, wealth, health, and prosperity to give me a kick start, so I should be okay:-)  Do you have any New Year traditions, food or otherwise?

6 comments:

  1. Wow that corn bread looks delicious!
    The weather still looks so pleasant! I wish you can see out my window and see the stark contrast between your blooming flowers and the grayness of the view outside my window.

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    1. It was overcast and in the 50's, so really not that bad. I admit to being a bit spoiled by the weather here. We are dipping into the upper 20's tonight, which is cold!

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  2. we do the same thing here in north carolina :)

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    1. I went to grad school in Chapel Hill and used to rock climb in the Blue Ridge mountains - such a pretty state!

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  3. We always have black-eyed peas. I would love to add that cornbread to our tradition!

    I'm jealous over that weather. We are at -2 degrees F here in Central Illinois right now!

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    1. Oh my gosh, -2 sounds painful! I doubt I'd ever leave the house, but that would cause a whole 'nother set of issues.

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