Today was the Moon Festival, and my school gave me with a box of mooncakes
(elaborately presented in a fake gold and diamond box). I ate one mooncake, and
I have to be honest -- I really don't like them. They are so leaden and
uninteresting. My mooncake was filled with some sort of coconut cake filling.
Blech -- it doesn't matter, I still don't like them.
On the Moon Festival, families eat large dinners together. Since I have no family here, I ate dinner out with a co-worker who is far from her family, too (though not quite as far away as mine!). I had mailed Mickey Rooney some mooncakes for his birthday that we could eat them together, but slow, slow China Post did not deliver them in time. Boo.
More on Moon Cakes from
ChinaPage.com:
During the Yuan dynasty (A.D.1280-1368) China was ruled by the Mongolian people. Leaders from the preceding Sung dynasty (A.D.960-1280) were unhappy at submitting to foreign rule, and set how to coordinate the rebellion without it being discovered. The leaders of the rebellion, knowing that the Moon Festival was drawing near, ordered the making of special cakes. Backed into each moon cake was a message with the outline of the attack. On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebels successfully attacked and overthrew the government. What followed was the establishment of the Ming dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644). Today, moon cakes are eaten to commemorate this legend.
>> A discussion on eGullet about mooncakes and their deliciousness or, if you prefer, their complete lack of deliciousness
Posted by Astrid at Septem