Cookin' with Karl
Lucky foods for a great year
The food guru says pork and sauerkraut is the luckiest dish of all when it comes to prosperity this New Year. File photo
Happy New Year! You probably have your New Year's Eve plans all set in place by now, but what will you do to bring yourself luck in 2017?
Some folks wash their hands with silver coins, an English tradition. Others make sure to kiss their loved one and toast with champagne at midnight.
These are all good, but FOOD is what we need to make sure we have a great year (well, kisses are pretty good too.)
Greens
They are traditionally eaten on New Year's Eve because they resemble money. I say eat them because they are great for your body. Good nutrition into your body will give you good health.
Beans
Beans also represent money, more specifically coins, Lentils in Brazil and Italy. Black-eyed peas down south. But I say eat them because they are high fiber and just great for your health. Seeing a theme here?
Noodles and grains
Noodles symbolize long life, but only if you eat them without chewing or breaking them, so get your slurp on. Soba noodles are relatively good for you too. Grains like rice, quinoa and barley are associated with abundance. I do know that whole grains are also very good for you and will help start 2017 off on the right, healthy path.
Fruit
In particular, grapes, pomegranates and figs. Grapes get popped into your mouth at each stroke of midnight, one for each month. If one is not so good, watch out for that month. This is a predominantly Hispanic tradition. Eating 12 grapes in a minute sounds like a fun challenge, too. Pomegranates stand for prosperity due to the massive amount of seeds, and figs bring fertility in the New Year. And, of course, fruit is just plain good for you, right?
Pork
I am German, so I always have to have pork and sauerkraut (your greens). If you are going to do this, it is as easy as putting a good two-to-three-pound pork loin in the crockpot on top of one bag of sauerkraut. Add two apples, sliced and cored, and set it on low. Six hours later, you have a great, lucky meal. Serve it with mashed potatoes, if you really want to nail it. Pigs are considered a lucky symbol because they root forward symbolizing progress and are rotund. In the south, pork is combined with rice (abundance), beans (coins) and greens (paper money) to create a good luck dish called Hoppin' John. Black-eyed peas are critical to this dish, and also a fine band. Might have to try a new healthy tradition. Really, though, pork is the luckiest food of all, and I do love pork products. Hmmm, this might explain the "Gerhard luck spot theory?"
Cake
Specifically, ring-shaped cakes to symbolize things coming full circle. Time to break out the old Bundt pan. OK, so this is a small stray from the healthy angle, but happiness is important, right? Happiness does a heart good, right? Doughnuts are a ring-shaped food, too. Actually, any ring shaped food fits this category and reasoning. Hello, crown roast of pork!
Fish
They say a whole fish is the best luck. Their scales represent coins and they swim in schools, which symbolizes abundance, and they swim forward, symbolizing progress. And, yes, fish are really healthy food when prepared properly.
OK, so we have the "good luck" foods covered. Ever wonder what NOT to eat if you want a healthy, lucky and prosperous year? Here is a short but powerful list of some "unlucky foods" for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day:
1. Lobster. Sounds opulent, but think about it; they move backwards. This could symbolize setbacks.
2. Chicken is discouraged because the bird scratches backwards, which could cause regret or dwelling on the past.
3. Any winged fowl. Eating something that flies could lead to your good luck flying away.
Some folks say the lucky foods should be eaten on New Year's Eve, some say New Year's Day. I say both. Why risk it? One important tradition is to always have food on the table at midnight, and to always leave a bit of the lucky foods uneaten on your plate. This symbolizes "plentiful supply" in the coming year.
So eat well, eat healthy and eat the right foods to ensure a happy New Year!
Some folks wash their hands with silver coins, an English tradition. Others make sure to kiss their loved one and toast with champagne at midnight.
These are all good, but FOOD is what we need to make sure we have a great year (well, kisses are pretty good too.)
Greens
They are traditionally eaten on New Year's Eve because they resemble money. I say eat them because they are great for your body. Good nutrition into your body will give you good health.
Beans
Beans also represent money, more specifically coins, Lentils in Brazil and Italy. Black-eyed peas down south. But I say eat them because they are high fiber and just great for your health. Seeing a theme here?
Noodles and grains
Noodles symbolize long life, but only if you eat them without chewing or breaking them, so get your slurp on. Soba noodles are relatively good for you too. Grains like rice, quinoa and barley are associated with abundance. I do know that whole grains are also very good for you and will help start 2017 off on the right, healthy path.
Fruit
In particular, grapes, pomegranates and figs. Grapes get popped into your mouth at each stroke of midnight, one for each month. If one is not so good, watch out for that month. This is a predominantly Hispanic tradition. Eating 12 grapes in a minute sounds like a fun challenge, too. Pomegranates stand for prosperity due to the massive amount of seeds, and figs bring fertility in the New Year. And, of course, fruit is just plain good for you, right?
Pork
I am German, so I always have to have pork and sauerkraut (your greens). If you are going to do this, it is as easy as putting a good two-to-three-pound pork loin in the crockpot on top of one bag of sauerkraut. Add two apples, sliced and cored, and set it on low. Six hours later, you have a great, lucky meal. Serve it with mashed potatoes, if you really want to nail it. Pigs are considered a lucky symbol because they root forward symbolizing progress and are rotund. In the south, pork is combined with rice (abundance), beans (coins) and greens (paper money) to create a good luck dish called Hoppin' John. Black-eyed peas are critical to this dish, and also a fine band. Might have to try a new healthy tradition. Really, though, pork is the luckiest food of all, and I do love pork products. Hmmm, this might explain the "Gerhard luck spot theory?"
Cake
Specifically, ring-shaped cakes to symbolize things coming full circle. Time to break out the old Bundt pan. OK, so this is a small stray from the healthy angle, but happiness is important, right? Happiness does a heart good, right? Doughnuts are a ring-shaped food, too. Actually, any ring shaped food fits this category and reasoning. Hello, crown roast of pork!
Fish
They say a whole fish is the best luck. Their scales represent coins and they swim in schools, which symbolizes abundance, and they swim forward, symbolizing progress. And, yes, fish are really healthy food when prepared properly.
OK, so we have the "good luck" foods covered. Ever wonder what NOT to eat if you want a healthy, lucky and prosperous year? Here is a short but powerful list of some "unlucky foods" for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day:
1. Lobster. Sounds opulent, but think about it; they move backwards. This could symbolize setbacks.
2. Chicken is discouraged because the bird scratches backwards, which could cause regret or dwelling on the past.
3. Any winged fowl. Eating something that flies could lead to your good luck flying away.
Some folks say the lucky foods should be eaten on New Year's Eve, some say New Year's Day. I say both. Why risk it? One important tradition is to always have food on the table at midnight, and to always leave a bit of the lucky foods uneaten on your plate. This symbolizes "plentiful supply" in the coming year.
So eat well, eat healthy and eat the right foods to ensure a happy New Year!
