Food Traditions

I often joke to friends that I miss Louisiana because it has my family, friends, food, and football. And if I'm feeling particularly witty and repetitive, I further joke that in Louisiana we have a tendency to measure our holidays by the food we eat. You know, Christmas Eve = gumbo; New Year's Day = ham + cole slaw + black-eyed peas; Mardi Gras = booze; Easter = crawfish bisque + strawberry shortcake (I prefer angel food over pound cake, sponge cake runs a very close second, and biscuits are a huge no-no). Already, you can tell I don't believe Louisiana is The South. Nope, it's its own place, own thing, own culture with its own vibe and you can bet your britches any of our grandmothers can outcook your grandmother any day of the week with one hand tied behind her back. I might have said that a time or two before today, too.

Oh, and don't forget the Salad. In our family, Salad definitely starts with a capital letter. This goes for regular Sunday dinners (which, truthfully, are more like what less-refined people call "lunch") as well as for the holidays. We don't eat without Salad. If Salad is late, we wait. (That rhymed!) Also, I've said Salad so many times in the last five minutes that it doesn't seem like a real word any more. Salad. Salad. Salad salad salad salad. Anyway, basic recipe is leafies + cheese + fruit + nuts + vinaigrette. Olives. Parsley. Lemon. Ginger. Now I'm just saying random things that sometimes show up in the Salad as guests. Mmm, Salad.

Now that I'm married, and far removed from my Louisiana roots, I'm hard core missing some of these traditions while trying to establish new ones. Our schedules have been really hectic since we met each other, and we haven't had too many holidays together. However, that didn't stop Tony from frying a turkey for Thanksgiving one year! Never mind that year we had Thanksgiving in October because stupid Afghanistan. We were together (married!) for Easter this year, but if I remember correctly we were living in a hotel, slept in, missed church, ate sandwiches, and watched a lot of television. And our next holiday together looks like it might be Halloween, which is not celebrated in Italy; or Veteran's Day, which will certainly be noted on the base; or Thanksgiving, due to miscellaneous as-yet-undetermined trips for both of us. Work, weddings, the usual things that happen when you're entrenched in your 30s. All of that to say we haven't worked out the fine details yet, but I can pretty much guarantee there will probably be a) wine and b) salad. 

And I will also lobby very hard for something chocolatey. Because chocolate wins. The end.