I had always heard one should eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day to bring good luck.
I never did eat them until last year. That says a lot about the kind of luck I've had over the years.
When I was studying at New York University, my cello teacher introduced me to the Germanic and Scandanavian tradition of eating pickled herring at midnight New Year's Eve. That, to me, was a more palatable tradition than black-eyed peas, though the luck quotient was about the same.
Turns out there are more traditions from around the world, including pork, lentils and long noodles, according to an article in Woman's Day.
And if greens, whole fish and round fruits, such as clementines, are consumed, you may not have luck but you will be eating healthy.
So tell us what New Year's Eve food traditions do you observe every year? Tell us in the comments below.
