After Christmas. A New Year — Dr. Ed Iannuccilli

After Christmas. A New Year — Dr. Ed Iannuccilli

The week after Christmas was one to enjoy when I was a kid living in Providence. There were so many things to appreciate with the treasures that we received over the years . . . sleds, balls, boxing gloves, a basketball, a football, Monopoly, Parcheesi, toy cars and trucks, a bike (When would the snow melt?), ice skates (When will the Duck Pond freeze?) and roller skates (Go away ice). I never thought of New Year’s Eve until New Year’s Eve, when I tried to stay awake long enough to hear something but never did.

I remember a few traditions, one of which was lentils. Lentils were not my favorite, so the meal on New Year’s Eve was not memorable, even though lentils include beneficial nutrients like fiber, protein, minerals and vitamins, are low in calories and contain virtually no fat. Who knew at 10?

Not until later in life did I begin to savor those dishes that I avoided in my youth; lentils, polenta, undercooked eggs (well, not yet) and castor oil (never). I mention castor oil because though not a food, Grandma seemed to consider it one, feeding it to us for any ailment when we complained. She used it for a headache, sore throat, cramps and yup, diarrhea. She even used it when we were well. Italians seemed to think that a good purge was necessary every once in a while. We learned not to complain.

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Back to the lentils.

According to tradition, lentils are served on New Year’s Eve around midnight. Why? Well, with their coin-like shape, they are supposed to represent luck and prosperity. They look like many little coins in the dish. Lentils are often served with cotechino, a spicy pork sausage that signified the fat or bounty of the land. For immigrants like our grandparents, America was now their land, one they appreciated, so I guess they continued this tradition in recognition that they now were living in good times and enjoying an abundance of things they never had. Maybe a bit of superstition crept in.

I understand that Italians ate pork to conjure the future because pigs root forward, whereas other animals, such as chickens or cows, move backward or stand still. Lord knows, they had their fill of chicken.

I remember the wonderful scene from the 1988 Italian film “Cinema Paradiso,” one of the greatest movies ever made. The scene shows Toto awaiting Elena while staring up at her window. At midnight, the revelers throw pots and pans out of windows. The act symbolizes casting away the old in favor of the new, letting go of past troubles for a more hopeful time. Out-with-the-old, make-room-for-the-new.

Grandma used a hammer to smash a plate covered with a mopine (dish towel) on New Year’s Eve. It was her damping down of the tradition.

When you move into the New Year, keep your eyes and hopes looking forward. Throw out the old.

And don’t forget your lentils.

Happy 2023!