Osechi 2024

 

Biceps Rissoto

Osechi and Ice Water: How I Started 2024

It's 9 AM on January 1st, 2024. Everyone's nursing hangovers. Sleeping in. Recovering from New Year's Eve parties.

And I'm standing at Castle Island in Boston, about to jump into the Atlantic Ocean.

In January.

My kids are watching from the shore. My daughter yells, "Papa, is the water cold?"

"Very cold!" I yell back.

Then I walk in.

The Cold Plunge Tradition

This is my New Year's ritual now. Before the Osechi feast, before the sake, before anything else - I do a cold plunge.

The water is FREEZING. Probably 38-40°F. The kind of cold that makes your skin hurt immediately. But I wade in until I'm waist-deep, then submerge completely.

3-5minutes. That's all I can handle. But those fifteen seconds reset everything. My nervous system downregulates. My breathing becomes controlled. My mind goes absolutely CLEAR.

When I come out, I'm shaking. My kids think I'm crazy - there's literally a photo of them watching me with text that says "Is my dad crazy!?"

Maybe. But this is how I start the year. With discipline. With challenge. With cold water shocking my system awake.

What is my dad doing?

Then Comes Osechi

After I warm up and change, we head home. The table is ready.

Osechi - the traditional Japanese New Year's feast - spread across lacquered jūbako boxes. This isn't just food. This is SYMBOLISM. Every dish means something.

The black beans (kuromame) represent health and hard work. The candied sardines (tazukuri) symbolize a bountiful harvest. The lotus root (renkon) with its holes represents looking forward into the future with clear vision.

I made shrimp - their curved backs represent longevity, living until your back bends with age. Anago (sea eel) because its long shape represents success and rising fortunes. The namasu - pickled daikon and carrot - represents celebration with its red and white colors.

Then there's the sashimi plate. Fresh salmon, tuna, yellowtail. And ozoni - the New Year's soup with mochi, bamboo shoots, and vegetables in a clear dashi broth.

Everything on the table has MEANING. This isn't random dishes. This is intention. Hope. Tradition.

Why This Matters

Here's what I realized this New Year: the cold plunge and the Osechi are connected.

Both require PREPARATION. Both require INTENTION. Both are about starting the year correctly.

The cold water plunge is uncomfortable. It challenges you immediately. It says "the year ahead won't always be easy, but you can handle hard things."

The Osechi is meticulous. Every component takes time. Some dishes I prepared days in advance. It says "good things require patience and planning."

Together? They set the tone for the entire year.

We sat as a family - me, my wife, our kids - and ate slowly. Picking at the different dishes. Drinking sake (the adults, obviously). Talking about what we want from 2024.

My daughter tried the kuromame. "Papa, these beans are sweet!"

"They represent working hard," I told her. "Being healthy."

She ate another one.

The Best Way to Start

Some people start the New Year with resolutions they'll abandon by February. Some people party and wake up hungover.

I start with cold water and traditional food. With discipline and gratitude. With ancient practices that have meaning.

That's 2024 for me. Cold water. Osechi. Family. Intention.

Happy New Year.

Kion Coffee
 
Graphic T-shirt TEK's Spaghetti | Tatekitchen Graphic T-shirt TEK's Spaghetti | Tatekitchen Graphic T-shirt TEK's Spaghetti | Tatekitchen Graphic T-shirt TEK's Spaghetti | Tatekitchen Graphic T-shirt TEK's Spaghetti | Tatekitchen Graphic T-shirt TEK's Spaghetti | Tatekitchen
Sold out
 
Featured
Baked Pesto Black Sea Bass
Baked Pesto Black Sea Bass
Veal with Maitake Cream Sauce
Veal with Maitake Cream Sauce
Osechi 2025
Osechi 2025
French Cassoulet 2024
French Cassoulet 2024
Thanksgiving 2024
Thanksgiving 2024
Tonkotsu Ramen
Tonkotsu Ramen
Pork Chop with New England Apple Sauce
Pork Chop with New England Apple Sauce
Tsukemen: The Dipping Noodle
Tsukemen: The Dipping Noodle
 
TatekitchenTateki MatsudaOsechi, new year, JapanComment