another thing from my mom...

...who was pretty adamant about what you should consume on New Year's Day for guaranteed prosperity. It's a southern thing. After working from 6 am until 430 pm on Sunday, Jan. 1, I came home and cooked black-eyed peas and rice. Consumed enough to provide sufficient gas for me to get to work by 5 am today.

The true, actual, proper southern tradition is black-eye peas and greens. I'm thinking that the cooked greens were meant to represent folding money, and the peas an indicator of coins. Eat plenty and your pockets will always be full. I cannot verify, but fear of the opposite consequences has me always eating peas on New Year's Day.

I have never been a fan of greens. The one and only time I was able to choke a serving down is when someone suggested it would be ok to liberally apply ketchup. Which I did, but even with a good dousing, not enough to inspire me to ask for more. Or ever want to volunteer to eat again.

But the peas were plentiful here last night. I even made a huge sacrifice by getting a hunk of ham to put in the pot with the fresh peas.The Man Who Lives Here, and likes to eat had a plate full as well. Accompanied with an apology for the fact that there was no 'Yankee fare' on the table. The perfect  meal for a man born in PA would have included pork roast and mashed potatoes. Did not happen here.

At some point yesterday, I walked by a man who looked a little lost or confounded, and asked if he needed help. He said he was waiting for an employee to check in the stock room for some frozen peas. I told him he could get fresh in the produce department. Then quickly told the story of being a young, inexpreienced cook who did not know you don't have to cook the whole pound bag of dried peas. Never thinking you could only cook a few, or half the bag, and save the rest. In the following days I also discovered how the peas turn to mush when you reheat and reheat and reheat. (I also did  not know you don't have to eat them all. Was not raised in a house where you threw food in the trash, so it never occurred to me you could put them in the trash when you get tired of eating them - which is what I did last night!