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Over the Moon

时间:2024-10-26 07:22:58

Mid-AutumnFestivalandtheallureofmooncakes

XINHUAIfyou鈥檙egoingtoexpressyourloveforsomebodyspecialinyourlife,doingitbeneaththelightofafullmoonisguaranteedtoplaceyouatthetopoftheromancespectrum.

InChina,atMid-AutumnFestival,themoonistheguestofhonorandalongwithconnectinghearts,itushersinanation鈥檚insatiabledesireforthemost鈥渄elicious鈥漜onfectioneryintheEast-themooncake.

SecondinimportanceonlytotheChineseNewYear,theMid-AutumnFestival,alsoknownasMoonFestival,focusesonthereunionoffamiliesandlovedones.

Mid-AutumnFestivalfallsonthe15thdayoftheeighthmonthofthetraditionalChinesecalendar-September24thisyear.

Traditionallyatimetocelebratetheendoftheharvestseason,it鈥檚alsoatimetorenewoldfriendshipsandmakenewfriends,andgiventhemoon鈥檚universalmysticalappeal,thisisaperfecttimeforaffairsofheart.Homestakeonaspecialwarmthonfestivalevening.

Thatwarmthiskindledbythemooncakeinvasion-somethingeveryforeignervisitingorlivinginChinashouldsee-atleastonce.Thisistheonlytimeoftheyearyou鈥檒lseethemandwhereveryouareinthecountry,preparetobeaccostedbyadverts,jinglesandbannersallproclaimingthedelectableattributesofthemooncakephenomenon.Everysupermarketshelf,vendors鈥檚tandandrestaurantserving-trolleygroansundertheweightoftheglisteningcakes.

Afriendofminetoldmethatshethoughtitismoredifficultforforeignerswholiveabroadamongotherculturestoadjusttheirtastebudstodessertsasopposedtosavorydishes.Thethinkingbehindthisisthatfromayoungage,dessertsarealwaysseenastreatsandhighlightsofameal,andaregenerallysomethingsweetintheWest.

Inmyexperience,mooncakesdonotquitefitthiscategory.Theirdense,richtastemakethemabitonthedry,stickyside(likeeatingaspoonofpeanutbutter)鈥揳ndnodoubtarebestconsumedwithcopioussipsofteaorcoffee.Inaddition,thehighconcentrationofcaloriesmakesthemanitemtoavoidbymanyChinesewomenobsessedwithstayingslim.

HoweverformillionsofChinesewhogrewupnibblingonthemwhilesittingontheirgrandma鈥檚lapandgazingupatthefullharvestmoon,thecakesprobablytriggerwarmfuzzymemoriesofdeliciouschildhoodmoments.

Aswithalltraditions,thefestivalhasn鈥檛escapedtheelectronicage,andnowit鈥檚becomepopulartosendfestivalgreetingsandimagesviasocialmedia.Buttoexperiencethetruefeelingofthefestival,youshouldtuckintothecakesinrealtime.

Forme,mooncakesareanacquiredtasteofnote.Atastethatcomesinalmostinfiniteflavors.Traditionallymadeoflotusseedpaste,peanutoilandglutinousriceflour,allencasedinpastry,pressedintoapatternedtray(usuallybearingthelogoofthebaker)andbakeduntilgoldenbrown,thecakescanalsobesteamedorfried.

Thelotuspaste,whichispricey,cancontainsaltedduckeggyolks鈥搒ymbolizingtheshapeofthemoon.Then,therearevarietiescontainingeverythingfromredbeanpaste,tocreamcheeseorginsengtodelightthedrovesofconsumers.Andinkeepingwithmillennialsdrivingchange,outletslikeHaagen-DazandStarbucksareabighit,whilebigdesignerbrandssuchasLouisVuittonandGuccigivetheirVIPclientelespeciallypackedcakeswithwhichtogainmegaface.

Andmooncakesdon鈥檛justcomeinaplasticwrappersorbrownpaperbags.TheselunartreatsarepackagedinsomeofthemostelaborateandcolorfulboxesandwrappingsI鈥檝eeverseen,andeveryofficeworkergetsaboxfulltotakehome-mostofwhicharegiventofriendsonthequiet.

ForforeignerslivinginChina,eatingmooncakesandgazingatthemoon,saidbyChineselegendtobeatitsroundestandbrightestontheMid-AutumnFestival,arethewaytogetcaughtupinthemomentofromance.Ifyoudon鈥檛haveyourspecial鈥渙ther鈥漺ithyou,grabamooncakeforcompany.Afterall,nooneshouldbealoneunderaharvestmoon.

ThewriterisaSouthAfricanlivinginBeijingCommentsto
   

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