My lunch today, a plate of black-eyed peas, ham and mashed potatos.

I've learned that not everyone knows how important black-eyed peas are to folks in the south. I've had them every New Year's day of my life. They are supposed to bring good luck and prosperity for the coming year. It's soooo important to me that three years ago I had to travel to Victoria, BC, Canada to teach on New Year's Day. I actually had to ask the coordinator of the workshop to find some black-eyed peas for me - in Canada - on New Year's Day! She finally found a can of assorted salad beans with a few black-eyed peas mixed in. At the hotel I asked the desk clerk for a can opener, went outside and sat on the sidewalk and picked out the black-eyed peas.

Here's a link on the subject. Click here. Do you eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day? If so, tell us, and state where you are from (notice I didn't say live - rather FROM). If not, what do you do? Are there any other New Year's traditions out there for us to learn about?