Good Luck Food

Eating Noodles (careful about eating them) can mean good luck in China

You hear people saying that they have good luck charms, that they consider a certain number or color lucky, but have you ever heard people say they have a food they consider lucky. This does happen in the American South, Italy, and China. What people or cultures consider good luck changes along with what they are eating, geographical area, and what they are cooking.

China

In China, there are many numbers, symbols, flowers, and dragons that mean good luck to them. They are a country steeped in good luck tradition that spans many centuries. Good luck symbols appear on many things in China. Not only that, but eating certain foods and how you eat then can mean good luck or otherwise!

What the people of China consider good luck is based on the shape of the ingredient. In some regions of China, the long noodles represent long life. If you eat the long noodles, you will have good luck and good health. On the other hand, if you cut the noodle into smaller pieces, you would have bad luck and a short life span.

When you eat the noodles, you need to make sure that each one gets to your mouth in one piece. Another good luck food in China is the spring roll. It is suppose to bring you prosperity and wealth. This is because the size and color of these crispy rolls look like bars of gold. In addition, coffins are said to bring good luck so they make a snack shaped like a coffin. It is a hollowed out slab of toast filled with a thickening agent and covered with a lid also made out of toast.

Italy

In Italy, lentils are believed to be good luck. The only catch is you have to eat plenty of them to receive good luck. When you eat many lentils, you will have good luck in money matters. This is because the lentils round shape matches the shape of coins.

Small potato dumplings called Gnocchi bring good luck in the form of prosperity. Some people believe if you leave a coin, as a charm, under the last piece of Gnocchi on the plate, it will bring you wealth, and good luck in the future. In Italy, not everyone agrees on which foods bring good luck so it varies between regions and families. In the northern region, risotto brings good luck when you consume the food.

Good Luck Food Gifts

USA Southern States (The South)

In the southern region of the United States, black-eyed peas are the most popular food to bring good luck. The luck is even better if you pair black-eyed peas with collard greens. These two traditional southern foods are said to bring you good luck in the area of money and wealth. The reason for this is that black-eyed peas look like coins and collard greens represent paper money.

The more collard greens and black-eyed peas you eat the more good luck and prosperity will come your way. This belief is especially true on New Year’s Day. Sometimes, when they serve collard greens and black-eyed peas, the cook will put a real coin in the dish. The person that dishes up the coin and puts it on their plate will have an extra dose of good luck.

These are just three regions of the world and the food they consider good luck. Many other regions have good luck food, a topic for a possible future article.

If you have a good luck custom about food we’d like to hear about it. Leave a comment, or if you like the idea of being a published author; write a 500 word article about your good luck food custom and submit it to Wish Good Luck.

Questions about Good Luck Food

These questions and answers are some of those submitted to Yahoo Answers. Sometimes well informed persons answer them, while in other cases the answers are, well to put it lightly, far from right. In spite of this reading some of the responses to the questions will give you an idea of what’s running through the minds of people regarding good luck and especially thoughts about good luck food.

Jenny asks…

What food was given as a symbol of life and good luck when you buy a new home in earlier days?

They did it in the movie It’s a Wonderful Life

Suzi Q answers:

The tradition of housewarming parties probably began with cavemen bringing embers from their fire to their friends new cave to “warm” the hearth. The traditional gifts of bread and salt probably date back to the Middle Ages when newlyweds were given the basic staples of life to start their new household. Sugar also came to signify best wishes for a sweet and happy life…and in that regard you could never go wrong with a gift of wine. These days, housewarming gifts range from wine and flowers to microwaves and bread makers.

Robert asks…

Why do you put 3 coffee beans in Sambuca? Besides Good luck do the 3 beans stand for anything?

Suzi Q answers:

Health, wealth, and happiness

Lizzie asks…

What is the name of the so-called ‘mexican good-luck plant’?

My mother says that there is a plant (more like a bush) that hispanics will grown next to the doors of the house. It is supposed to help ward off evil spirits too.. long leaves with small bunches of flowers. I believe she said it was similar in looks to the mexican fire bush. If anyone might know, will you send me a link to pictures of it??? THANKS!!

Suzi Q answers:

It’s Aloe vera or sabila in Spanish.
I translated text from the link below using Babel Fish, so forgive the translation:
It is recommended to always have a plant in the social place of the house. In South America, Mexico and Central America, are very extended its use in this sense, placing it next to the access road to the house, or next to the front door, to detect and to absorb the strange or negative energy of the places that live. Usually one puts to the plant a red bow when love is invoked and a green bow when the luck is invoked. They hang also it by the root behind the door to the entrance of the houses to protect them. Its use in chamánicos (Shamanic) rituals by its great power power is very frequent. It is compared with the power of the diamond in the mineral world. In mystical sense, the power is attributed to him to purify the soul.

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