Luck, with a Side of Black-Eyed Peas

Here we are in Guangdong province, home to a mere 90 million Chinese and the mega metropolitan super city Guangzhou (formerly known in the West as "Canton"). I am up early today to cook for our Milanese host Pietro and some of his friends. After an incredibly colorful shopping trip through Cantonese markets close to the old French Concession, I will be preparing black eyed peas and cabbage with ham, two of the "good luck" staples I grew up on in New Orleans (corned beef is also traditional, but may be harder to secure with only two days in Guangzhou). I am glad we are traveling with Cajun Shake, Tabasco and Crystal hot sauces, and bay leaves so that we may enhance our beans with goodness from home!

I certainly come from a tradition of food + good luck. My mother's pot of peas was her usual holiday party excuse to gather friends and  family and wish us all her best in year ahead. So, I am sharing the tradition in China. Chinese also learn much of luck and imbibe or indulge in the good fortunes or luck for festivity, medicinally, or superstitiously. The Chinese are thoroughly delighted that Brittany and I were married on September 9, 2009, and reiterate that the date indicates "love" and "forever." 

While visiting Hunan province, we learned of salted meats and buried salted-duck eggs which, while eaten all year, were prepared in larger quantities in preparation for Spring Festival (Chinese New Year). I can guarantee our readers that in Hunan and Changsha, all varieties of spicy chilis, chutneys, dried or relished peppers, garlics, pickles, kimchi, and the like are also being prepared this time of year to share with family and honored guests (just writing this, my eyes water, and I can feel the pleasant and familiar burns along the gullet!!). 

Medicinal wines, strong rice wines, fruit wines, and distilled moonshines are also always produced and aged for the holidays in Hunan, as well as for most of southern China! These wines are part of the many thousands of years of Chinese Medicinal History and usually have roots, herbs, barks in them as well as assortments of odd animals and their parts (scorpions, frogs, and snakes are oftentimes drowned into the liquid). 

I'm not sure that Pietro cooks dishes with auspicious measurements or lucky ingredients in mind, but we certainly have nothing short of pure and delicious luck in meeting him. Pietro has a "private kitchen restaurant," and hosts both private dinners and catering services to anyone lucky enough to know of Amici Miei. Last night he treated us to home-cooked porketta, lasagna, pickles, chutneys, spicy homemade mustard, fresh italian bread and sicilian syrah! We have given him a package of some spicy Cajun Hot sticks jerky….the last of our gifts from Louisiana (Zachary, LA). 

We are fine, off to cross border to Hong Kong in next day or so, very sad to be leaving China....but excited still to keep encountering the world!!

Lots of love from Canton!!!