Good Luck Foods For The New Year

PALM DESERT – People are searching the grocery store aisles looking for happiness, luck and fortune. Different cultures believe certain foods can make for a good year ahead. Italians eat items resembling coins, like raisins and lentils. The Dutch believe anything shaped like a ring is lucky, symbolizing coming full circle and completing a year.

“I got a powdered sugar donut,” says Nester Weigand. “I don’t think it will bring luck, I just like them.”

In Spain, it’s all about grapes. People there eat one for each chime of the clock at midnight. Each grape represents a month and the taste reveals what kind of month it will be. For example, the first grape stands for January and if it’s sweet it will be a good month. However if your second grape is sour, February might be a little rocky.

Here in the United States some ring in the New Year with black-eyed peas and ham, symbols of prosperity and abundance.

“When I was a little girl my parents always made black eyed peas on New Year’s Day,” says Darcy Buehler.

Some say if it resembles money or riches, eat it. They go for rich colored items, anything gold, yellow or green.

“We’ll eat pots of greens, we need luck,” says Rikki Pilkington.

However, some say luck doesn’t come from veggies, beans or meat. Instead, they say the key to a good 2010 is beyond the grocery store shelves.

“There is no such thing as luck, the guy upstairs is in control,” says Gene Larimer.

“If you think positively, good things will happen to you,” says Pilkington.

Whatever you eat this New Year’s Day, don’t clean your entire plate. Some believe leaving a little left over will guarantee a plentiful year ahead.