January 05, 2007

Can I get some pork here?

Ok, so I've been round the sphere checking out what people did for New Year's day from Black Eyed Peas to Turnip Greens. And all the colors of the rainbow.

Here in Hunky-land - (for those not in the know - slang for eastern european) we eat sauerkraut and kielbasa. Not just any kielbasa mind you - but Wasilewski's which here in the western wilds of PA is like gold (well, to me anyway). So, on New Year's day, here in the house of Bobo we had kielbasa and kraut.

Not to be forgotten, another favorite - pierogis - dough pockets filled with mashed taters and sometimes cheese, fried in butter and onions!!! Yep. Kielbasa, kraut, pierogis and some pumpkin pie for dessert. Cause, well, gotta have pie.

Now, lest you ask yourself - why is a half-slant eyed bobo eating hunky food? Well, my fine friends, that would be because my husband is German/Slovak (cause he couldn't pass the test for Polak) and my granny is Polish. (My gramps was Irish.) So, we have hunky blood running through our veins - hence the kraut, pierogis and kielbasa.

But, I'm more asian than anything else so while New Years is a big day here - Lunar New Year is bigger.

Now, the spread for Lunar New Year would knock your socks off - and I'm already planning. Lunar New Year's eve - clean house! That is to figuratively sweep the old dust away to make way for the new year. Lunar New Year's day, pay respects to mom and dad and granny - hopefully they will give out money cause well, that is what elderly asians do on New Year's day - throw "lucky money" at the younguns.

Then, we will eat korean namul-or side dishes, marinated meats - yummmmmy, korean dumplings - pan fried to perfection for prosperity in the new year; Noodles for luck; fruit for sweetness, and various other foods for health such as rice cake soup-so that we can all turn a year older, and rice and seaweed rolls. Not to be forgotten is a tradition we have created in the house of bobo, though not Chinese, we also have home-made eggrolls. Cabbage for luck.

Roll all that up with some fireworks to ward off evil spirits (really a Chinese tradition) - and the year of the Pig should be a very lucky one indeed.

So, though not till February 18 - this New Year's greeting still fits:

Say hay boke maneh padusayo - "Many New Year's blessings to you!"

Posted by Oddybobo at January 5, 2007 07:38 AM | TrackBack
Comments

Sounds like a yummy New Year all the way around! Now I'm hungry and I was about to go to bed. *grin*

Posted by: Teresa at January 5, 2007 12:04 AM

Oh, man does all that sound good! I'm half Polish, though living in the South for a couple generations now, the "black-eyed peas" has been the tradition for as long as I can remember.

My adoptive grandmother was Russian, and made awesome piroshki - basically the same thing - pastry filled with meats, vegetables, even egg and bacon and then deep-fat fried. Ohmigod were those things delicious. But even more I loved Pelmeni. No machine-made or plastic tray forms here - I used to watch her work for hours, deftly, delicately forming each one with her withered fingers. At the end of the morning, there would be more than everyone could eat at the table, and the freezer would be full too!

Thanks, Oddy... Now I have a craving that there's no way in hell I'm going to satisfy, and I'll no doubt empty the cupboards over the next few days in the attempt! ;)

Posted by: Bitterroot at January 5, 2007 02:03 AM

Happy New Year and Good Eatin' for 2007.

Posted by: Nancy at January 5, 2007 02:52 AM

I'm sure that tradition would be best held at my house. Please come on down, clean house and cook. I would LOVE some of that food. Yummmmmmy.

Posted by: vw bug at January 5, 2007 06:56 AM

It ALL sounds good! We had pork both on New Year's day and Christmas Eve. ;)

Posted by: pam at January 5, 2007 07:58 AM

Sounds beyond fantastic! :-)

Posted by: Richmond at January 5, 2007 11:40 AM

.. you soooo need to send me some homemade kimchee..... I'll pay you for it... honest!...

Posted by: Eric at January 5, 2007 10:40 PM

korean and hunky food huh, odd mix for certain. I would love a kolache right now...an apricot one

Posted by: armywifetoddlermom at January 6, 2007 05:02 PM

Oh yum!!!! I would rather be at your dinner table, lol.

Posted by: Gigi at January 6, 2007 05:14 PM

Now you've done it. I'm starving, Not far from my home in Marietta GA is a large store called Harry's. They always have several Kielbasa and other sausages, and some are very good. But not as good as the ones of my youth. I lived near the Wisconsin border where many of the local butchers fought over whose sausage was the best. Of course I had to try them all.

Posted by: Mickysolo at January 6, 2007 06:34 PM

Jak sie masz?

Posted by: Jerry at January 6, 2007 09:50 PM

I'm coming to your house for all major holidays from here on out.

Posted by: Tink at January 8, 2007 02:32 PM

You haven't lived until you've tried your pierogies deep fried :-)

Posted by: Harvey at January 9, 2007 07:17 PM