New Years Day 2016 - Celebrating Confederate Heritage

Our friends Mike and Jodi Sala just left.  We invited them over to celebrate what has become a highly symbolic meal for us.  Southerner's eat black eyed peas on New Year's Day for "good luck" but the tradition has a much darker history. 

We eat the meal of black eyed peas and greens to remember the time that Northern Americans tried to starve Southern Americans into submission by stealing or burning all of the food they could find, taking all of the livestock and leaving nothing but what they though was inedible pig food ... black eyed peas.  At the time, Southerner's considered themselves lucky to have black eyed peas and thus the legend of black eyed peas bringing good luck was born.

Here in the Indian Territories the same tactic was applied. The North planned a "March

to the Sea" through Oklahoma and Texas but Indian troops allied with Texas Cavalry cut them to ribbons every time they marched.  The Northerners then tried to literally starve the Southern sympathizing tribes into submission by withholding food distributions, burning crops and stealing livestock.  Tribal legend has it that starving Cherokee women followed the cavalry columns leaving from Ft. Gibson to pick the undigested grains of corn from the horse's droppings to feed their children.

Every year, in remembrance, Sheila and I cook a huge stockpot full of a rich old Southern dish called "Hoppin John."  It contains black eyed peas, collard greens, onions, celery, carrots, fatback and ham.  We usually cut back on the fatback, adding just enough to give texture to the broth and use smoked turkey legs instead of the ham.  It is always served over rice with corn pone of some sort on the side.  This year's light, fluffy, crusty skillet cornbread came out especially well.  We also made a big apple pie laced with golden raisins and walnuts and spiced with a generous shot of bourbon.  We will eat on the pot of "Hoppin John" for days and send bowls of it home with whoever happens to stop by.

I made a pot of strong coffee in my little French press and we sat for a long while discussing current events and remembering past ones.   It was a good meal and we had a good time catching up with our friends who have gone through a lot this year and are still picking up the pieces after multiple life stress events. 

I can only pray that the rest of year will be as pleasant as the meal.