Just Like Home

Coco and Richard are arriving today.  I am so excited.  They are here for this evening and the next three full days. Hardly as soon as I get to hug my girl, she will be gone again.  We have suggested an agenda for Coco and Richard that will give them a full-flavored taste of Panama in just a very brief bit of time.  They plan to see monkeys of Panama Canal and witness ships passing from Atlantic to Pacific and Pacific to Atlantic.  And then we all are sailing together to the Taboga islands!!  What a fine plan!

I want their visit to be exciting, educational, fun, and eye-opening. I want them to be glad they came.  Yet I want to make their visit feel just like home.  They are going to be here until the early morning of January 2. 

In their three days I hope they are exposed to both the beautiful and the ugly, sad side of this city.  I want them to see and hear the sellers of fruit and vegetables in stands along Avenida Central.    I hope they get to feel mist on their faces in the rainforests and see exotic animals.  I hope they get to taste lobster and corvina on the beaches.  I want them to experience it all.  But January 1 is going to be just like home.  For all our years the tradition passed down through our deeply rooted southern families is on New Year’s Day we eat our poorest meal of the year:  blackeyed peas, greens and cornbread.

In this very unique place with the ocean just in the distance, soaring birds far above us, a beautiful city surrounding us, and street noise clamoring below we are reminded there is so much more to take in before our time here is gone.  But all we want on January 1 is tradition: greens, peas and cornbread.

This dinner is non-negotiable.  We found dry blackeyed peas right away at the 24-hour Super 99.  Finding greens on the other hand was a challenge.  And to be sure, there are no turnip greens or collards here!  We did find fresh kale at the Foodie Mart (I’ve named it Whole Foods). Kale??  If kale is all you can get, it will certainly do.  After all, the leaves are dark green, have texture and a good strong flavor.  Let’s cook them down. 

The New Year’s Day plate is not an option; it is requisite to the coming year.  Peas represent pennies, greens stand for dollars and the bits of meat give hope for fine dinners and good health in the coming year.  Here’s to our moms and grandmas for passing down this delicious tradition.  And here’s to you!

¡Feliz año nuevo 2022!