Food and Drink
Introduction
Food and drink have always been associated with luck. Primitive man thought that by eating the flesh or organ of a particular animal, he’d gain some of their desirable qualities. If he ate the heart of a lion, for instance, he’d gain the strength of a lion. In the extreme, cannibals believed they’d gain courage and strength by eating the bodies of their slain enemies. Foods such as oysters that are believed to possess aphrodisiacal qualities are regularly eaten in the hope of providing good luck in the bedroom.
People raise their glasses to make a toast, which is a ritual intended to celebrate an occasion, honor someone, or make a wish for good luck.
A friend of mine eats a couple of pieces of dark chocolate every evening. He started doing this to reward himself whenever he had an especially productive day. However, he started eating it every day when he noticed that the chocolate appeared to give him good luck. It doesn’t matter if this is true or not. My friend thinks dark chocolate makes him lucky, and because he believes this, it works for him.
If you intend using a specific food or drink to attract good luck, tell yourself that you’re creating good luck each time you partake of it.
242. Salt
As salt is cheap and plentiful today we barely give it a moment’s thought. However, in the past it was rare and valuable. If someone says, “You’re worth your salt,” you know that you’re valued. An allowance of salt was made to officers and men in the Roman army. In imperial times, this salarium became a payment that was used to buy salt.1 The word “salary” comes from this. Salt is also an excellent preservative, and became associated with good health and longevity. Because it prevented decay, it became associated with immortality and was used in magical rituals. This is why it’s considered lucky.
It’s considered unlucky to borrow salt. It’s certainly unlucky to spill it, a belief that dates back to the days when it was rare and expensive. There’s even a legend that says Judas spilled the salt before betraying Jesus. Leonardo da Vinci depicted this in his painting, The Last Supper. A number of remedies have been devised to counteract the bad luck that occurs when salt is spilt. The most common remedy is to immediately throw a pinch of salt over your left shoulder. Alternatively, you can drop a few grains into the fire or onto the stove.
243. Tomato
The tomato is native to parts of South and Central America. Hernán Cortéz (1485–1547), the Spanish conqueror of Mexico, allegedly found them growing in the gardens of the Aztec Emperor Montezuma in 1519, and took seeds back to Europe with him. People grew tomatoes for ornamental purposes, but did not eat them. Initially, people were wary of them, as the acid in tomatoes caused lead to leech out of pewter flatware causing lead poisoning. The French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (1656–1708) did not help matters either, by giving tomatoes the botanical name Lycopersicon esculentum, which means “wolf peach.” He erroneously associated the tomato with the wolf peach mentioned by Galen in the third century. Galen claimed the wolf peach was poisonous and killed wolves. It was not until the early twentieth century that tomatoes became popular as a food in America.
In France, as in most of Europe, the tomato was considered a decorative plant until the time of the French Revolution. As the French called the tomato pomme d’amour (love apple), the tomato gained a reputation for being an aphrodisiac, and virgins refused to eat it until after they were married.
In Italy, the tomato has enjoyed a good reputation for at least two hundred years. A red tomato sitting in a window wards off evil spirits, while another placed on the mantelpiece attracts wealth and abundance. Tomato sauce provides prosperity and good health. Because of this, anything shaped like a tomato is said to attract good luck. My grandmother had a pincushion in the shape of a tomato. We used to enjoy pushing pins into it, as she told us it would bring us good luck.
244. Coin-Like Foods
Foods that look like coins are said to provide good luck. Peas, grapes, oranges, round cookies, and even round donuts are good examples.
Black-eyed peas are an excellent example, as they were eaten to provide good luck at Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, more than fifteen hundred years ago. In the south of the United States, black-eyed peas are served in a peas-and-rice dish called hoppin’ John on New Year’s Day to provide good luck and prosperity for the next twelve months. This tradition dates back to the Civil War.
In Italy, lentils are said to provide good luck, especially in money matters. The more of them you eat, the luckier you’ll become.
245. Green Vegetables
Children (and many adults) are constantly told to eat more greens. In fact, many people eat greens because the color reminds them of folding currency, and this makes them think of wealth and prosperity. They believe that eating greens makes them luckier financially. This is a useful superstition, as most of us need to eat more “greens.”
246. Pork
Eating pork is said to provide good luck. This is because pigs root forward, indicating continued forward progress. In addition, the rotundness of a pig symbolizes prosperity and enjoyment of the good things in life.
In Italy, the fatty meat symbolizes a fattening wallet. Pork is a popular meat in Italy all year round, but it is eaten for good luck on New Year’s Day.
247. Fish
Fish are considered lucky for three main reasons: their scales are round and symbolize money, they swim in schools, which symbolize prosperity, and they swim forward, a sign of forward progress.
In China, fish are considered silent affirmations that symbolize upward progress. This came about when people observed carp swimming against the currents, and leaping up waterfalls to get to their breeding grounds. The carp is an ancient Chinese and Japanese symbol of endurance and perseverance that was used to motivate young men. People used to believe that once a carp became a hundred years old, it could swim up a river, leap over the Dragon Gate, and become a dragon, one of the most auspicious symbols in all Asia. Since the tenth century, the Japanese have used carp-shaped banners in their Boys’ Day Festival (now known as Childrens’ Festival), known as the Feast of Flags. In China, the carp signifies passing examinations, especially the Civil Service exams, which provide the potential for a successful career. As carp are also associated with the god of literature, they are used to encourage success in literary exams.
Raw carp is eaten during the Chinese New Year to attract luck into the home. Everyone in the family takes turns to stir the dish of carp, spices, oils, and wine to ensure a happy new year for every member of the household. The best day to eat this dish is on the seventh day of the Chinese New Year. In addition to this, the Chinese name for carp, lei yu, sounds like “have wealth.” For this reason, the carp symbolizes wealth, ambition, and good luck.
Goldfish are considered symbols of wealth and abundance in China. Two goldfish swimming together symbolize a happy marriage, and nine fish symbolize wealth. Fish ornaments are worn to avert evil and attract good luck.
248. Tea and Coffee
If you need some good luck, folklore suggests you use a spoon to capture the bubbles on the surface of a cup of tea or coffee. If you drink these before the bubbles break, you’ll attract good luck for the rest of the day.
249. Noodles
Noodles are a staple of the Asian diet. However, in many parts of Asia, especially long noodles are eaten on New Year’s Day to encourage good luck and a long life. It’s important that the noodles aren’t cut before boiling and that they are unbroken until they are all in your mouth.
250. Mince Pie
The term “mince pie” has different meanings in different countries. In some places it is a variety of meat pie, but for the purposes of luck I’m referring to a fruit mince pie, sometimes called a Christmas mince tart.
It’s good luck to be offered a mince pie. Consequently, you should never decline the offer, even if you have just eaten a number of them. If possible, eat a mince pie on each of the twelve days of Christmas. Each pie gives you a month of good luck.
251. Sugar
Sugar may not be good for our health, but it is considered lucky. You can attract good luck by dropping a few grains of sugar on the ground in any environment where you feel you need more luck. If, for instance, you were going to be interviewed for a job that you really wanted, you could carry a small amount of sugar in a pocket and drop a few grains as you walk through the lobby of the building. You might drop a few more in the office where you are being interviewed.
It’s important to use only a few grains. There’s no need to leave a spoonful of sugar everywhere you go. A few grains will not be noticed by anyone, but a larger amount might, and that could attract bad luck—not to mention certain pests—rather than good.
252. Christmas Pudding
In the past, all families made their own Christmas puddings. This is less common nowadays, which is unfortunate, as it brings luck to the family. Every member of the family should have a turn at stirring the mixture while making a wish. The pudding should be stirred clockwise, and the wishes need to be kept secret.
Sometimes silver coins were added to the mixture to provide financial good luck over the next twelve months. A ring was also sometimes mixed in to encourage a wedding to take place.