Old Traditions or Is It Habits Hard to Break

Fiḍál (Grace), 1 Sharaf (Honour), 170 BE - Tuesday, December 31, 2013 about 9:50 am Pacific Standard Time

Old traditions habits hard to break. I can remember Grandma Mary preparing for New Year's Day, she always finished the laundry on New Year's Eve because she didn't believe in doing laundry on the first day of a New Year. Grandma said "Whatever you do on New Year's Day you'll be doing the rest of the year." That is why she didn't do laundry or most housework on New Year's Day. The only type of household chores she performed on a New Year's Day was making beds and washing dishes.

I seem to find that habit tradition hard to break because today I'm finishing up all the laundry that I can find because I don't want to do laundry tomorrow, January 1, 2014. Another tradition I have difficulty breaking fixing black eyed peas on New Year's Day. When I went to the store yesterday, I purchased one can of black eyed peas for my January 1 menu. Grandma always fixed black eyed peas on the first day of the year.

Normally, Grandma made them from scratch. She would put the dried black eyed peas to soak the night before and then on the morning of January 1 put them onto cook. Grandma usually seasoned the peas she cooked with with pigs feet. I prefer to season mine (when I make them from scratch) with a honey baked ham bone and pieces of the ham. However, this year I'm going to have the canned peas because I have no way to fix the dried ones at this time. Maybe I'll fix black eyed peas in March for Naw-Ruz.

Grandma Mary always fixed black eyed peas on January 1 because she thought they were good luck. I'll have to do some research on that superstition, I don't believe what you eat on the first attracts good luck, but it would be nice to know where the superstition originated.

Planning My New Year's Day 2014 Menu

Kamál (Perfection), 19 Masá’il (Questions), 170 BE - Monday, December 30, 2013 about 11:08 am Pacific Standard Time

To say that I'm excited about the beginning of a New Gregorian Year is an understatement, it's also out of character or at least a little weird for me. Normally, I get excited about Naw-Ruz (the New Year I celebrate), but seldom about the New Year that starts on January 1. However, this year is different because it will be 13 months and 3 days after my mother's death and I have the feeling that it will be the beginning of a new phase of my life.

For my New Year's Day lunch I have decided to have a cod fillet, with potato surprise (I'll post the recipe after I finish making it), a can of black eyed peas, and a green salad. I don't think I'll have a desert of any kind, but I may change my mind about that tomorrow. Since I have a pound cake mix in the refrigerator I can make the desert.  I'm also going to make a carafe of fresh ground whole bean coffee made with a kona coffee bean blend.

New Year's Day 2013

Fidal (Grace), 2 Sharaf (Honor), 169 B.E. - Tuesday, January 1, 2013 about 9:05 A.M. Pacific Time

On January 1, my Grandmother always made black eyed peas, so today I have a batch of  black eyed peas in the slow cooker. Yesterday, I washed them and then put them onto soak because this is the way you make black eyed peas. I seldom buy canned black eyed peas, I think it is because Grandma never fixed black eyed peas from a can. When the peas are about done, I add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker.

When I went to the grocery store yesterday, I bought a package of cornbread already made and a whole pumpkin pie. All right, when Grandma fixed her New Year's Day meal she always made her own cornbread and pumpkin pies. I buy these items already made because it is easier for me then making them and cleaning up after the meal. In addition, I only have a microwave oven and I have not attempted to make cornbread or bake a pie in the microwave. I will attempt both of those projects sometime in 2013, but not on January 1.