DALLAS -- For many families, the start of a brand new year means falling back on some old southern cooking.
Sweet Georgia Brown's restaurant in Oak Cliff was busy this New Year's Day, with long lines packing the place to get special servings of black eyed peas, greens and other southern staples.
"They say you do the greens for money, and the black eyed peas for luck," Natasha Hughes explained as she sat down to eat.
The foods are symbolic, many believe. They're dishes that have been part of New Year's Day traditions for generations.
"Since I was a little girl, my grandmother and my mother fixed black eyed peas on New Year's Day," Gladys Graves said.
The explanations behind the particular dishes can differ, depending on who you ask.
"Well, I come from Louisiana," said Jessica Smith. "The home cooked meal on a Sunday, on New Year's, or any other day New Year's fall on, you have to have it."
Walter Williams, owner of Sweet Georgia Brown, has been in the restaurant business for 23 years. He has been serving black eyed peas, greens and cornbread to families every New Year's Day.
"Since this is the new year coming in, everybody can stand some good luck for the new year," Williams said.
Many associate the foods, due to their color-likeness, to certain currencies, with their hopes for good luck and monetary gain.
"This year, we cooked more black eyed peas than we ever have," Williams said. "We cooked about eight pots. Now these are 80-quart pots."
That means a whole lot of people chowing down for a chance at a prosperous New Year.
