Time to buy mooncakes: Mid-Autumn Festival

[ahkiwi]

Mid-Autumn Festival

The moon festival will occur on October 3 2009

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, or in Chinese, Zhongqiu Jie, is a popular harvest festival celebrated by Chinese people and Vietnamese people (even though they celebrate it differently), dating back over 3,000 years to moon worship in China's Shang Dynasty. It was first called Zhongqiu Jie (literally "Mid-Autumn Festival") in the Zhou Dynasty.

[Chong]

Every place in Kaiping [ and the rest of China ] has been selling them since I arrived back on August 8th. The hotels and the stores each have their own respective private label Moon Cakes. Supposely the best ones come from a company in Hong Kong ... "Wing Wan" [ in business for over 50 years ] ... but they don't sell them here in Kaiping oddly enough.

Surprising the prices aren't that much different than back home in Toronto, Canada [ $ 25 -30 Cdn for a box of 4 cakes ]. My fiancee wants to send 3 boxes back to my family but I mentioned that it's plentiful back in Toronto and that the postage freight will hurt the wallet ... so she agreed to send back only one box.

There are so many varieties ... the most popular are 1) black paste w/egg or 2) nut w/egg.

[Arnold]

Oh Man ? Here I will be leaving China on the 2nd of Oct. My poor Wife . Last year she send me two Boxes with eight in each Box with different filling's . They were so good , but very rich ... it's hard to eat two at one setting . I guess we will be eating them early ? Is that bad luck ? Anybody know ?

[ahkiwi]

It could be Arnold, especially if you eat more than 1 :icon_cool:

There are a lot of different types - Mooncakes

[brett]

I hope to be in China in early October. Mid-Autumn is a great time to visit and if you're there look out for any local festivals that may be happening.

Oh, and don't eat too many moon cakes :icon_cheesygrin:.

[Arnold]

Ahkiwi , you know I had more than one ... the first time I got to taste them . I was sitting out by the side of my House and watched the Moon come up and thinking of my Wife . I was having my Tea with them . you do need something to wash them down . Haha . I took some Photo's and send them to her the next day .

[ahkiwi]

Now that's a good idea, unless it's raining of course. They are only 4 hours behind me so I could be watching the same moon and munching on mooncakes at the same time as they are.

You are a big softy Arnold :icon_cheesygrin:

[Vince G]

Yeah I think Arnold will be singing the song Memory from "CATS" next.

[Irishman]

This festival has memories for me, it was when I was writing to "Hui" the first girl I though was gonna be serious with, a year later so much  has changed for the better i should add.
I chatted to Ling about it today and she says she wishes she could share a mooncake with me in person, so sweet.
I'm gonna see if I can buy one here and eat it when shes online with me on Skype, yes I'm a sentimental old fool.

[Arnold]

Yes there are still many of those " Fools " like some of them might call us , but I think we're one up on them in the Love department . :heart:
Hey ... whatever works best for the individual person . But it is good to see , some of the twenty-something are/can be still very romantic . Good for them . I'll will bring home my Mooncakes for sure and eat them while looking at the same Moon as my Wife is .. at the same time . Talk about being connected even when far apart , it really work's ... for the Romantic's only of course .

[brett]

Talking of mooncakes, has anyone used chnlove to send mooncakes to their lady? I am not sure if I would get praised by my beloved for sending her some, or scolded for wasting money (I'm visiting her in October). The chnlove mooncakes are fairly expensive at $58. However, my beloved tells me they're about $20 in her town, and they are nearly $40 in London's China Town.

I'm not sure how good the chnlove cakes are either, I'm aware from my visit to Hong Kong that people will pay ridiculous prices for the highest quality cakes :icon_confused:.

Who knows if the cakes would ever arrive either, I sent an airmail parcel from the UK and it hasn't reached her yet :@.

[David5o]

Brett,

Wow!! 20 dollars in China, they must have well gone up since i was there. ...that or she is talking about one of the big one's ... If you think paying 3x the price in China is a sensible thing to do, then by all means send them. As the Agency will be posting /delivering your package, the likely-hood of being delivered to her is  Very Good!!....

David....

[Paul Todd]

I ate my first mooncake today. Cost 2yuan from a stall in the fruit and veg market, not bad at all. I have seen presentation box's in the local supermarket for 238 yuan. I was talking to the brother inlaw yesterday who was outraged that Haggen Dazs are now making mooncakes for sale in China. Must be money in it for the big guy's to get involved.

[David5o]

Arnold,


Wow!! do something with that wall, makes it look like your living in a prison compound!!  haha!!.
The salts are leeching out of the mortar too, and staining your wall block's. I think the buggers used unwashed sand, we have the same problem over here...lol!!

Apart from that .... the moon looks great!! ...lol!!

David...

[Willy The Londoner]

I am having a trip back to London today and will be staying there during the Autumn Festival.  I have been given so many Moon Cakes to take back with me that I am sure I will be done for excess baggage!!

Paul is right the best ones are individual and sold in Markets.   Anyone who has never seen the commercial preparation for the Autumn Festival will be astonished to see upmarket department stores setting up massive market stalls outside their stores just to sell Moon Cakes.


Willy