Great Ocean Food – Mallee root and sun-beaten six-footer brings luck in New Year

By the time you read this article Christmas 2018 will have come and gone. I apologise for not wishing my readers Merry Christmas, but I’m just in time for Happy New Year!

We have been celebrating New Year at the same friends’ home, off and on, for over 20 years.

Now this probably indicates I am somewhat of a sponge and perhaps should reciprocate the hospitality; but the tradition, location and company are so good, that, when invited, we always jump at the opportunity. The New Year’s have changed considerably since we first celebrated without children.

Then it was a very late night and the celebrations around the coast were raucous to say the least.

Thank goodness much of the bad behavior has been prevented by alcohol limits and people not acting up as much. (I hope this is not a precursor to trouble in 2019). I remember driving from Barwon Heads many years ago and barely being able to make it across the bridge. There was almost a riot that night and friends had their car window smashed by an unruly mob. I can only speak of my experience, but over the last 30 years, people are less inclined to completely write themselves off and more likely to enjoy drinks and a meal at home, the fireworks and a quiet (if hungover) New Year’s Day. (In the same period, Australia Day has done the reverse, but that’s for another time).

The pattern for the next 10 or more years were babies, toddlers, young children and teenagers all enjoying each other’s company until the eldest of the kids decided it was pretty boring at home with the oldies. At that stage, the attendance of our respective children dwindled until now almost  none show up at all. The conversations were about houses, children, schooling and university and have recently turned to the care of parents. This is life and how wonderful it is to live shared experiences and be part of relationships which reaffirm themselves every year.

I would like to wish everyone a happy and prosperous 2019 and enlighten you with the following I stumbled on while doing some “Google research”:

“To celebrate Hogmanay, the Scottish word for New Year’s Eve celebrations, the first person to cross the threshold of your house is supposed to bring gifts symbolising good luck for the coming year.

Scottish whisky will bring a merry year ahead, the spiced fruit cake Black Bun ensures that you’ll have food enough to prosper and a lump coal represents warmth and fuel for the New Year. The gifts are meant to be carried by a tall, dark and handsome man for a truly auspicious start to the year”.

No problem with the whiskey and cake, but in our climate change world it may be politically incorrect to bring a lump of coal and finding the tall, dark handsome man in the mirror might be a struggle.

What say I substitute a Mallee root for the fire and a sun-beaten, Collingwood six-footer well into his 50s instead?