Today was Moon Festival in Taiwan. It's the equivalent to Thanksgiving but with different traditions. Apparently on Moon Festival day you're supposed to have a barbecue, eat pomelos (a fruit I didn't know existed until today), and have moon cakes for desert (more on that later). Here's some more info on the Moon Festival from google:
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or Lantern Festival or Mooncake Festival or Zhongqiu Festival, is a popular lunar harvest festival celebrated by Chinese and Vietnamese people. A description of the festival first appeared in Rites of Zhou, a written collection of rituals of the Western Zhou Dynasty from 3,000 years ago. The celebration became popular during the early Tang Dynasty. The festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar, which is in September or early October in the Gregorian calendar, close to the autumnal equinox. The Government of the People's Republic of China listed the festival as an "intangible cultural heritage" in 2006, and it was made a Chinese public holiday in 2008. It is also a public holiday in Taiwan.
A very friendly woman, Abish (like the woman in the book of mormon), invited us over after dinner for Moon Festival dinner. She didn't have a barbecue but we had spaghetti with pomelos and moon cakes. It was very nice of her. She is the ward translator so she knows fluent chinese and english, all from teaching herself. She has a 2-year-old named Jonathan.
These are pomelos. They're a fruit similar to a grapefruit but not as bitter. It took a lot of work though to get to the fruit. It had so many layers that by the time I got to the fruit I didn't care anymore! But they were actually very delicious.
But the moon cakes on the other hand...were not. They were some store bought ones and I thought it would just be like a...cake, some dough, flour? No...
Half a chew into this "cake" and I knew...KNEW...that I could not have another bite. It would not be physically possible.
Here's why:
I'm already not a pastry person, but mixed with the things above and I'm definitely out. So I knew I had to find a way to not bring attention to the fact that I wasn't going to finish it. So I casually put it down behind a bowl for a few minutes as to not bring attention to it or me and that I wasn't eating it. I was semi-freaking out though because the cake was too large to wrap in a napkin and leave on the table. Fifteen minutes later at last she took her son to the bathroom so I wrapped it in a napkin and quickly threw it in my backpack on the other side of the room. Phew! I felt bad but it just wasn't going to be possible to finish it. (Again, it was store bought so I don't feel as bad). Plus, no one noticed!
But everything was great and I'm very thankful for her invitation. People here are so nice and it's been great to see people homes and see how people live here and get to know them.
Happy Moon Festival!
7 comments:
That fruit looks like a giant pear but a grapefruit in the inside. I'd love to try one someday. I wouldn't be able to eat the moon cake either. the egg yoke middle looks awful. The fact that I hate eggs doesn't help. What a nice lady to have you over. Make sure to send her a thank you note (I'm a mom...what can I say).
Thank you for sharing. I love reading these!
Great info Son. You will have to make some of those 'moon cakes' when you return. Yummie.
First, I totally agree with Robin! Second, my tutor kids from Hong Kong were telling me about the moon festival but said nothing of that disgustingness that you had to endure!
The last comment was me by the way...
cracking up. during the mish we helped a lady mow her lawn and prune her garden. she brought us this soda that was NASTY. when she went inside i poured it into a planter. the liquid then drained out the bottom of the planter and all over the driveway. AWKWARDLY hilarious.
so I talked to my tutor students and they told me that it isn't chocolate in moon cakes but it is like a bean paste...fyi...quit spreading false information! ;)
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