Lucky foods around the world

　　Almost every country has at least one special food that is eaten on New Year's Eve or in the first days of the New Year that is believed to bring luck, wealth or success in the year to come. Whether you normally belie ve in these traditions or not, eating lucky foods might work out to be in your favor! So have a look and have f un dishing up some international-flavored luck this yea r!

　　Italy

　　Traditionally, the Italian people eat a dish called cotechino con lenticchie: pork sausage served over lent ils(兵豆). This dish is eaten because of the presence of fatty rich pork sausage and lentils in the dish. Cotech ino sausage is a symbol of abundance because the are ri ch in fat; while lentils symbolize money (being both gr een and coin shaped). This dish packs a double-whammy o f luck!

　　America

　　There is a Southern saying that dictates eating hab its in the Southern United States' New Year's: "Eat poo r on New Year's, eat fat the rest of the year." A tradi tional Southern New Year's meal includes ham, cornbread , black-eyed peas and collard greens. Both black-eyed p eas and collard greens are considered especially lucky additions to the dinner table. Black-eyed peas are thou ght to bring wealth because they look like little coins , in addition to the fact that they swell when cooked— a sure sign of prosperity. Collard greens are considere d lucky because they are green, like greenbacks—money!

　　Spain

　　Every year, Spanish people bring in the New Year by eating 12 grapes as the clock strikes midnight. At each strike of the Plaza del Sol clock(which is broadcast to the entire country much like the United States broadcas ts the Time's Square clock), another grape is eaten in celebration of lucky years past, and in hope of a lucky year to come.

　　Champagne: The Universal Gook Luck Charm

　　To claim that champagne is a lucky tradition of Fra nce would not do champagne justice. Champagne is a forc e beyond one country's borders—it is drunk not only in France, its country of origin, but also around the worl d on New Year's Eve. Lucky champagne is a delicate drin k that has survived through much adversity —two world w ars!—and has risen to unprecedented popularity today. P erhaps, when we are drinking champagne we are toasting the past, our strength to survive, as well as hoping th at the richness of champagne's bubbles will influence t he year to come!

　　Have a Lucky New Year!