Eat your way into the New Year Holiday ushered in with feasting
around the globe Americans who celebrate on New Year's Eve with
a bottle of Champagne, party hats and a kiss at midnight have an
important lesson to learn from the rest of the world (and
certain regions of this country): the arrival of the New Year is
meant for feasting. As the New Year arrives around the globe,
special cakes and breads abound, as do long noodles
(representing long life), field peas (representing coins),
herring (representing abundance) and pigs (representing good
luck). The particulars vary, but the general theme is the same:
to sit down and share a meal with family and friends to usher in
a year of prosperity. Here are some of the common traditions
around the world and a few hints about where to partake in them:
Hoppin' John, American South A major New Year's food tradition
in the American South, Hoppin' John is a dish of pork-flavored
field peas or black-eyed peas (symbolizing coins) and rice,
frequently served with collards o