Meanderings of a Mermaid

Hoppin' John. This was supper tonight. Black eyed peas are good luck when consumed on New Year's Day in this part of Texas. So this was the result of some internet research. A lovely melange of rice, peppers, hot spices, ham, tomato and of course, the black eyed peas. I found the recipe at About.com and followed it quite faithfully. Elsewhere on the web I found a note about adding a dime to the dish to bring extra prosperity to the year. I figure I am rich enough as it is, and so I skipped tossing coins into my supper. Of particular interest is that a friend in Calabria reports that they too eat black eyed peas and ham on New Year's Day. And it is done there also for good luck ! What a small world. But their tradition is to cook the two separately. So does this mean that Spaghetti Westerns may have more authenticity than we credit them with? Were ancient Romans the first Texans? (my driveway looks suspiciously like a Roman Road). Did a barge full of cowboys and black eyed...