Traditional New Year's Dishes

     My family visit my parents' house on Jan. 1st every year. We drink a small dose of New Year's spiced sake that is called "Otoso" and pray for the peace of our families and relatives this year. My father always wants us to tell our own new year's resolutions. I don't like to say anything because I would be required to do something hard, but he wants all of us to say something, so I replied that my new year's resolution was to pass the third grade of Korean. See also: http://kumo.typepad.com/weblog/2006/12/hangul_test.html

     The picture shows the new year's dishes prepared on the table in my parents house. It was taken on Dec. 31st. These new year's dishes are called "Osechi". Osechi includes a lot of food that can be kept for a few days and is all prepared before New Year's Day. We and our visitors will have it for the first three days of the year. Dishes that were made were carried to the back table shown in the second picture.

     Traditional Japanese room. The visitors are usually shown into this room first, but during the new year's first three days this room is used as a storage room for foods and is kept cool without any air heating. As the foods in the living room get short, these foods are taken into the living room.

     However I like king crabs rather than traditional foods.
(King Crab Party on Jan. 1st)