Carp in the bathtub and Hoppin' John for the Holidays
Are you familiar with these traditional culinary holiday delights? Let me tell you some holiday stories from our extended family. Carp in the Bathtub is a popular Slavic holiday experience that was carried over from our family ancestors in central Europe to Chicago and celebrated by our Jewish, Catholic and Baptist relatives there. The story is told in a wonderful children's book that harkins back to an earlier era, before refrigeration, in which live carp in the bathtub provided fresh fish for the holiday. In some cases served as a delightful twelve course meal. We also enjoy the more mainstream, mid-western traditions from our Ohio family members of turkey and ham and green bean casserole with Campbell's cream of mushroom soup. The tradition of Hoppin' John on New Year's Eve comes from our southern kin. Hoppin' John goes great with collards and corn bread or hushpuppies, or both! A newer family tradition, Iskender, comes from some of our travels. Others co