Mid-Autumn Festival is coming up
Created Friday, 9th September 2011, 09:25 by Whykay
For those who have been wandering into Asian markets up and down Ireland, by now you must have seen boxes and boxes of mooncake. (Image source: Wikipedia: Mooncake)
Mooncake in Chinese is 月饼 (Yiu'k Beng), that's the literal meaning as well. It's a big part of the Mid-Autumn Festival. There's a folk tale behind it all, but for an IBC like myself growing up in Ireland, we never really paid attention to it. We just know that when mooncake appears, then the Mid-Autumn Festival is near, but we never thought about it unless you have a Chinese calendar or Chinese satellite tv (or other Chinese friends).
I've always just liked the duck egg centre and ignore the lotus seed paste surroundings when I was younger. Nowadays if my mother offer me a piece, I take a very small piece (less than a quarter). For those who haven't tasted it before, it's sweet and the egg part is a little salty, it's nice in small servings. Be warned though, it's really heavy and filling.
My husband is not a big fan of them at all, and he loves steamed lotus seed buns, which is 蓮蓉包 (Leen Yung Bau) in Chinese.
So what are we doing this year, nothing, which is pretty much the same as every year. There's no lanterns, all I know that when the "15th day of the 8th lunar month" arrives and we have a clear night, the full moon is huge.
Maybe the Chinese community can do a bit more in the restaurants, I know some Asian Markets try to make it festive, but it's not highlighted enough. It is another part of the Chinese culture that I know of but never been a participant of. Maybe next time when I'm in Hong Kong, I can check out the festivities.
Here's this year's guide to the festivities (CNNGo). Makes me want to be there right now!