ril's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peas on Earth Peas on Earth� Because I am so quick to point out the (many) short-comings of the Frozen North, I suppose I should also be willing to admit when things go right. One of the chores I hate most is going to the grocery store� I mean, its one of those things you just _have_ to do� and I do� but that does not mean that I have to like it� and I don�t� Anyway, I finally hauled my fat ass down to the store on New Year�s Eve. So, there I was, elbow to elbow with the umpteen million other last minute folks� looking over the barren shelves for almost any kind of food that wouldn�t strike anyone else as too terribly odd� My primary mission (being a good ol' Son of the South) was black-eyed peas, ham hocks, and collard greens� Just in case you may not have had the blessing of being versed in Southern tradition, black-eyed peas and collard greens are (even if you won�t eat them at any other time of year) supposed to be eaten on New Year�s Day. The peas bring luck and the greens bring prosperity� I�m sure there�s a detailed explanation of why this is so somewhere � but I don�t want to look it up � so you can just take my word for it� (In case you were wondering, the ham hocks are just to add some really good flavor to the peas� Emeril is right, �pork fat rules!�) Now, I�m not particularly superstitious� and I can�t say from past experiences that this actually works� but I can say that I remember foregoing the meal one year just becasue I was pissed off... and the next year _really_ sucked... so I won�t be missing my peas and greens again if I can help it� I really didn�t expect to find what I was looking for (I had a back up plan of going to the nearest Cracker Barrel � some 25 miles away � if I really had to)� but sure enough� right there on the shelf� black-eyed peas� a couple of isles over I found some collard greens (frozen � but more than adequate for my purposes)� and � can you believe it � ham hocks! Man! They were great! I slow cooked the ham in the crock pot, added the peas (and some onions) later� and let the whole thing simmer for a couple of more hours� cook up some greens... and oooh doggie... it practically brought tears to my eyes... So� let my first entry of the new year reflect the fact that � for the moment at least -- God is, in fact, in the Heavens and all is right with the world� - 2002-01-02 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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