new years 2009

NYC's New Year's Eve was marked with chilling temperatures {as always} and snow. But hundreds of thousands of people {not me...} still showed up in Times Square to see the famous ball drop and I saw plenty of people sporting the good old 2009 glasses out and about. I went to the Jazz Standard at Blue Smoke to see the Mingus Big Band perform their showcase of Charles Mingus's music. With the tasty BBQ of the Blue Smoke kitchens and the great sound and energy of live jazz, I had a fun closing of the year.

New Years is probably the biggest holiday for Japanese families. Traditions include the first visit of the year to the local shrine to wish for health and happiness, otoshidama {giving money to children}, and sharing the first meal together. Just as Americans have turkey + stuffing for Thanksgiving, there are staple new years' foods, such as ozouni soup {clear broth soup with veggies and chicken and a big piece of mochi!} and osechi-ryori {various foods that mark the new year}. My mother keeps the tradition going {thanks mom!} and above is a photo of part of our new years' table setting. On a placemat that has the character for longevity/long healthy life {kotobuki in Japanese} in gold - we wish for exactly that for the year. Our chopsticks are in a festive paper case with golden decorations. In the upper left, we have a small glass of sake and in the the center is the ozouni soup. Personally, the big hot chewy mochi is my favorite!

Get ready....set....go for 2009~