Traditions.

Bonne année mon amis!

Can you believe we're already 5 days into 2012?! I can't, but maybe that's because I've spent the last 6 days in a jet lagged haze. Regardless, we're back here at I'm an Outlaw, Not a Hero, despite some time away and technical problems (aka my computer bought the farm, if ya know what I mean). But it feels really good to be back, and I can't wait to get caught up on all of our adventures, past, present and future. I missed you all!

But first, I'd like to talk about traditions. Doc and I realized that this past New Year's Eve/Day was the fourth we've spent together, with our first being spent in my native city of Philadelphia, then the next in Omaha, Nebraska, and the last two in Thoiry, France. Some traditions have crept in under our noses, and I'd love to share some of them with you.

1. Seafood: The first New Year's Eve that we spent together we decided to stay in and cook ourselves a big ole' feast, rather than drop a ton of money for a ticket to a big celebration. This involved a life scarring experience of Dan boiling alive (read: cooking) 2 lobster while I hid upstairs because I wanted no part until the eating part (RIP Bitey and Pinchy). I didn't think I'd have a problem with all of this until we got to the lobster tank at Reading Terminal Market and I saw their cute little (read: delicious) faces. I had to walk away and let Doc pick out our dinner, and every time I opened up the fridge for the next couple of hours I swore the lobster bag kept moving. Regardless, I was unaware at the time that seafood on New Year's Eve was a french tradition as well, and since moving to France our New Year's Eve has involved boiled shrimp, salmon, oysters and caviar (don't get excited, caviar is a lot cheaper here than in the US). I especially like that we've incorporated the boiled shrimp and a side of radis concept, as we had that at the home of my belle-mere and beau-pere on New Year's Day in Omaha in 2010.

2. New Year's Day Brunch: Brunch is a major Philadelphia tradition which we take very seriously. And if this Philadelphian can't brunch and attend the Mummer's Day Parade on January 1, then this Philadelphian is sure as hell gonna brunch it up to the nines. Combining traditions from aux etas unis and our time in France has been a lot of fun, so our New Year's Day brunch has involved mimosas and pain perdu for the last two years running. (Sidenote: Pain perdu is all that french toast wishes it could be but isn't, and we're thankful to our fellow Thoiry-sians for sharing with us this bit of french awesomeness at last year's Soupe de Noel dinner.)

{Mummer's Parade 2009}
 

3.The Mummer's Day Parade: As if they need an introduction...well ok, maybe at least an explanation. The expression "real men wear dresses" is one that Philadelphians hold true to heart, for on this day since 1699 (yep, before the US even technically became the US), men have been donning skirts, makeup and tiny umbrellas to strut their New Year's best in a pair of golden slippers. (Or Timberland's spray painted in gold as is often the case nowadays...) The parade starts in South Philly at an un-Godly hour on New Year's day, and ends at City Hall on Broad Street...at least until the party continues for sometimes several days later on 2 Street...

Pic via here.

It's the only day in Philadelphia where it is ok to drink on the street, and Philadelphians comes out in droves to get down with some mummery. Now that we've moved abroad we keep this tradition alive by watching it on the tv. It's not the same as walking up and down Broad street with a six pack in a backpack and buying pretzels off of a guy selling them out of a shopping cart warmed by hot coals, but it is a hell of a lot warmer!

How about you guys? Any New Year's Eve or New Year's Day traditions? I'd love to hear them!

Happy 2012 from Doc and I!

A la prochaine friends!

 

Honey