Getting Ready for The New Year

New Year's isn't the same in our house without the customary Japanese celebratory New Year's Day cuisine.  "O-shogatsu" (Japanese New Year celebration) has a history reaching back thousands of years.  "Osechi ryori" is what most people in Japan eat at the beginning of the new year.  It was originally a way for housewives and their families to survive the first several days of the New Year when stores throughout Japan were closed.  The foods that make up "osechi ryori" are prepared in advance and placed in compartmentalized lacquer boxes and are enjoyed for days following the New Year celebration.   Here are a few examples of what you can find in a typical "osechi ryori" meal....