Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Mid Autumn Festival, also known as The Moon Festival, is one of the biggest and most important holidays in China each year. It is held on the fifteenth day of the eighth month in the Chinese, Gregorian calendar, when the moon is at its fullest and roundest. It marks the new harvest and is traditionally a time to spend with family, worship the moon, and eat lots and lots of mooncakes while welcoming the new harvest. Well, being in China during this time and celebrating the moon festival was great. Many of my students gave me gifts for the holiday and we even had off from school Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. But, after trying a couple different mooncakes, I think it is safe to say I will never try them again. One of my students gave me a box of 6, all different varieties. Looking at the outside, one would expect a normal cake but OMG the surprise you find once you bite into it for the first time. They are all filled with different things ranging from fruits and nuts to meat and other surprises. The first one I opened was dark green with pinenuts inside. Another was brown with nasty stringy looking things, another was lemon, and I think the other was red bean. Other fillings that I’ve heard about include lotus seed, pumpkin seed, watermelon seed, ham, egg yolk, and even lard! Moral of the story – I don’t think I will be bringing any of these home as souvenirs!