其實一直覺得西方人的食物都挺貧乏的。感恩節剛吃完火雞、圣誕又接著吃，總不至于新年還吃吧？于是老外們就開口啦，我們新年可是有"幸運食物"的！那么這些"幸運食物"到底是哪些食物呢？

    自己煮一餐幸運食物，給自己來年添點運氣。

    For many, January 1 offers an opportunity to forget the past and make a clean start. But instead of leaving everything up to fate, why not enjoy a meal to increase your good fortune? There are a variety of foods that are believed to be lucky.

    對于很多人而言，新年是一個忘掉過去、重新開始的機會。不過，相比把一切都交給命運，干嘛不給自己煮一餐幸運食物，給自己來年添點運氣呢？在美國和其他一些西方國家，有這么一些食物是大家新年常吃的，也就是人們常說的幸運食物了。

    西班牙人會在新年的夜晚吃掉12顆葡萄

    Grapes

    New Year's revelers in Spain consume twelve grapes at midnight-one grapefor each stroke of the clock. Lately, each grape then represents adifferent month, so if for instance the third grape is a bit sour,March might be a rocky month. For most, the goal is to swallow all the grapes before the last stroke of midnight.

    西班牙人會在新年的夜晚吃掉12顆葡萄--每一粒葡萄就代表一個時辰。而后，這項傳統演變為：一粒葡萄代表每年的一個月。所以，如果你吃到的第三粒葡萄有點酸，那么來年3月可能就不順。不過最盛行的習俗，還是趕在午夜鐘響以前把所有葡萄都吃掉！

    美國南方，羽衣甘藍也是選擇之一。

    Cooked Greens

    Cooked greens, including cabbage,collards, and chard, are consumed at New Year's in different countriesfor a simple reason - their green leaves look like folded money, andare thus symbolic of economic fortune. The Danish eat stewed kale sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, the Germans consumesauerkraut （cabbage） while in the southern United States, collards arethe green of choice. It's widely believed that the more greens one eatsthe larger one's fortune next year.

    諸如卷心菜、甘藍菜和厚皮菜這樣的綠色蔬菜也是很多國家的新年食品。人們吃它原因很簡單：它們綠油油的葉子就像是鈔票上的綠色，所以吃掉它們就表示來年財運不斷。在丹麥，人們會吃燉甘藍菜、配糖霜和桂皮；在德國，酸白菜是菜單之一；美國南方，羽衣甘藍也是選擇之一。大部分人都相信，吃掉這些綠色蔬菜，來年就財源滾滾啦！

    Legumes

    Legumesincluding beans, peas, and lentils are also symbolic of money. Their small, seedlike appearance resembles coins that swell when cooked sothey are consumed with financial rewards in mind. In Italy, it's customary to eat cotechino con lenticchie or sausages and green lentils. Germansalso partner legumes and pork, usually lentil or split pea soup withsausage. In the Southern United States, it's traditional to eatblack-eyed peas in a dish called hoppin' john. There are even those whobelieve in eating one pea for every day in the new year.

    包括豆莢、豌豆和小扁豆在內的豆類也被視為是錢的象征。因為它們小小的豆粒看起來就像是硬幣，煮過以后漲起來、吃下去就像得到錢一樣。在意大利，人們用臘腸來配豆子吃；德國的傳統搭配是酸白菜加豬肉，通常還有扁豆湯；美國南方的傳統是一道叫"希望約翰"的菜，里面有黑豆。甚至有人相信，在新年里每天吃一粒豆子都會給來年帶來好運。

    新年吃豬的傳統是基于人們認為這種動物象征著進步

    Pork

    The custom of eating pork on New Year's is based on the idea that pigs symbolize progress.Roast suckling pig is served for New Year's in Cuba, Spain,Portugal, Hungary, and Austria-Austrians are also known to decorate thetable with miniature pigs made of marzipan. Different pork dishes suchas pig's feet are enjoyed in Sweden while Germans feast on roast porkand sausages. Pork is also consumed in Italy and the United States,where thanks to its rich fat content, it signifies wealth andprosperity.

    新年吃豬的傳統是基于人們認為這種動物象征著進步。烤乳豬是古巴、西班牙、葡萄牙、匈牙利和奧地利的傳統新年食品。奧地利人還會把杏仁甜餅做成小豬的樣子來裝飾餐桌。其他的豬肉大餐也在全球各地流行，比如瑞典人吃豬腳；德國人吃豬腳和香腸。在意大利和美國，得益于豬肉豐富的脂肪，人們也把它作為財富的象征。

    魚，是新年餐桌上理性選擇。

    Fish

    Fish is a very logicalchoice for the New Year's table. According to Mark Kurlansky, author ofCod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World, cod has been apopular feast food since the Middle Ages. He compares it to turkey on Thanksgiving. The reason? Long before refrigeration and modern transportation,cod could be preserved and transported allowing it to reach theMediterranean and even as far as North Africa and the Caribbean.Kurlansky also believes the Catholic Church's policy against red meat consumption on religious holidays helped make cod, as well as other fish, commonplace at feasts. The Danish eat boiled cod, while in Italy,baccalà， or dried salt cod, is enjoyed from Christmas through NewYear's. Herring, another frequently preserved fish, is consumed atmidnight in Poland and Germany-Germans also enjoy carp and have been known to place a few fish scales in their wallets for good luck.

    魚，是新年餐桌上理性選擇。根據《鱈魚：一種改變世界的魚的自傳》作者馬克·克蘭斯基的說法，鱈魚自中世紀起就是一種廣受歡迎的節日食品。他認為鱈魚相當于感恩節吃的火雞。什么原因呢？在現代制冷技術和運輸手段發明以前，鱈魚能夠長時間不壞，并運送到地中海、甚至是南非、加勒比地區。克蘭斯基同時還相信天主教堂反對在宗教節日期間吃紅肉的條例幫助了鱈魚和其他魚類在節慶中的發展。丹麥人吃煮的鱈魚；在意大利，人們在圣誕節和新年吃鹽漬的干鱈魚；波蘭人和德國人在新年晚上吃另一種常見的魚類，鯡魚；德國人同時還喜歡螃蟹，并且相信在口袋里裝一些魚鱗會帶來好運。

    蛋糕和其他烘焙點心都是圣誕到新年間的食物

    Cakes, Etc.

    Cakes and other baked goods are commonly served from Christmas to New Year's around the world, with a specialemphasis placed on round or ring-shaped items. Italy has chiacchiere,which are honey-drenched balls of pasta dough fried and dusted withpowdered sugar. Poland, Hungary, and the Netherlands also eat donuts,and Holland has ollie bollen, puffy, donut-like pastries filled with apples, raisins, and currants.In certain cultures, it's customary tohide a special trinket or coin inside the cake-the recipient will belucky in the new year.

    蛋糕和其他烘焙點心在全球各地都是圣誕到新年間的食物，尤其是圓形、或環形的點心。（滬江小編按：求團圓、圓滿，看來全球都一樣嘛！）意大利人做chiacchiere.那是一種用蜂蜜浸透的面團、炸過再撒上糖霜吃；波蘭、匈牙利和荷蘭人吃甜甜圈。荷蘭人的"甜甜圈"olliebollen質地松軟，里面的餡兒有蘋果、葡萄干和加侖子。在某些文化里，還有把硬幣塞進蛋糕里的傳統，吃到的人來年會有好運氣。

    有一些最好在新年避開的食物

    What Not to Eat

    In addition to the aforementioned luckyfoods, there are also a few to avoid. Lobster, for instance, is a badidea because they move backwards and could therefore lead to setbacks.Another theory warns against eating any winged fowl because good luck could fly away.

    除了這些幸運食物之外，相對的，也有一些最好在新年避開的食物。比如龍蝦，因為它總是倒著爬，在新年吃它象征倒退，這樣可不好。還有傳統警告我們要避開所有帶翅膀的家禽，因為它們暗示著幸運會飛走。