holiday & new year's day 02 Jan 2010 12:14 am
New Year’s Day 2010
New Year’s Day for Japanese Americans is a BIG deal. You are supposed to cook for days – lots of different good luck foods – to ensure that everyone who eats them will have a prosperous new year. Yeah but what about the poor sucker who has to make it all?? Er, that’d be me. And yeah, it’s not easy.
My friends and family all love to celebrate Oshogatsu (Japanese New Year’s Day) but no one wants to do it, of course. I enjoy taking on the the task for some reason, and every year I try to outdo the year before and see how many dishes I can make. Maybe I’m trying to hedge my bets with the ‘good luck food’, that this year will be better than last. Next year I’m scaling back, um, honest.
I always make some traditional foods, some party foods, and some just cause they taste good foods – and of course, lots and lots of desserts.
So here’s all that I made for New Year’s Day – here’s to hoping for a good 2010.
Honey Shoyu chicken wings
Root Beer pulled pork
O.G.’s flank steak
Shrimp & Bacon salad
Lumpia
Potato Salad
Spam Musubi
Somen Salad (noodles – for a long life)
Tazukuri (teriyaki fish – for a prosperous year)
kuromame (black beans – for health and success)
kurikinton (sweet potato w/chestnuts – for wealth)
gobo (burdock root – for a strong family)
edamame
kamaboko
tofu
Ozoni (traditional new year’s day soup)
Broken Glass Jello
Pink mochi
Green tea cupcakes w/mascarpone strawberry frosting
Red Velvet cupcakes
**some photos by foodlibrarian
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on 02 Jan 2010 at 8:12 am 1.Dorothy said …
Happy New Year! All that food looks great! I recognize most of those traditional dishes from an event I went to a few years ago. It was a cultural fest held at a public library, and they didn’t have handy little signs telling us what we were eating! We just grabbed a little of everything and hoped for the best
on 02 Jan 2010 at 9:44 am 2.Robin said …
That looks amazing! Here’s to health, happiness, and good fortune in the new year.
on 02 Jan 2010 at 10:02 am 3.Shari said …
Ok Overachiever (because that’s your new name) it looks amazing. We went out for sushi on NYE and ate Soba at the end of our meal for health. I thought that was it. Now I have to get me some of that kurikinton. A lot actually. Looks and sounds great too. You did an amazing job my friend. I hope everybody appreciated it.
on 02 Jan 2010 at 2:17 pm 4.Rosey said …
Wow!! I wish I was one of your guest! Everything looks sooo Yummy, Happy New Year
on 02 Jan 2010 at 8:39 pm 5.LW said …
Happy New Year! Your table looks wonderful — no NY’s traditions around here – but when I was a kid my grandmother would do the whole spread & we would spend the day going from relative’s house to relative’s house EATING since they all had a full table of food!
on 02 Jan 2010 at 8:51 pm 6.Tina said …
Wow! That’s amazing!
on 02 Jan 2010 at 8:51 pm 7.Tina said …
Wow! That’s amazing!
on 02 Jan 2010 at 11:40 pm 8.Lori said …
!!!! Wow. Your Oshogatsu spread is making my mouth water. Like for reals. Did you make the kamaboko? I’ve never seen kamaboko with designs and writing and stuff on it. Gorgeous.
on 30 Jul 2010 at 3:05 am 9.Mia said …
Where did you get kamaboko like that? It’s so pretty.