New Year's Eve - Our soul food feast

[demnan]

When I was a kid we used to make a big deal of New Year's Eve. We actually had a meal served at midnight (with snacks through the evening). The meal consisted of the following:

1 fresh hog's head - cooked on the stove in a large roasting pan, seasoned with pickling spices and vinegar

a big pot of black-eyed peas, seasoned with a few pork chops or ham hocks and cooked with carrots

Collards or kale (fixed with onion and pork)

Corn bread

Needless to say when we were teenagers all our boyfriends and girlfriends wanted to see this amazing sight so it kept us close to home on a dangerous night, and my folks would let us have a beer or something so it was cool. But I know we were probably the only white family in our area to have such a feast. What are your traditions for New Year's - any special food?

This year I'm inviting my Kosher friend over so no pork. I'm going to cook collards and blackeyed peas with smoked turkey meat instead. I'm also fixing a Saurbrauten.

[NashVegas]

1. Hog's head?

I just don't think I ... could.

Got the sauerbraten started, though.

[Rabrrrrrr]

2. Oyster stew was the only consistent tradition

Though now that I'm Japanese, there's also the tradition of the special new year's sobe.