One year after Christmas, my family drove down to spend a New Year celebration with my brother-in-law’s family in Birmingham. Right away, I noticed a big bowl of black-eyed peas soaking in water on a kitchen countertop. My sister-in-law declared that we will be having Hopping John for brunch the next day. I was intrigued and skeptical since beans are not my favorite choice of food. As it turned out, those beans were some of the best I had ever tasted.
What I love about that experience was the tradition she created for her family. We all often have a celebratory food for special occasions, but I did’t have one for the New Year. So, I was inspired to create my own good-luck food for my loved ones.
Later when I spoke to my mom, she corrected me on my memory of New Year’s food. We always eat noodles, but not necessarily the same noodle dish every year. Influenced by Chinese culture, stir-fry long noodles are traditionally on the table for the New Year to signify longevity. You're supposed to eat one long strand without breaking it to enjoy the longest life and the best luck—it’s not as easy as one might think.
Now I celebrate exactly the same way my mom did for us, noodles on the New Year. This year I am going for something spicy. If you don’t already have a tradition of your own, give any stir-fry noodle dish a try.
