Mooncake Festival (Mid-Autumn Festival)
Happy Mooncake Festival everyone!
Today is Mooncake Festival which also known as Mid-Autumn Festival. Mid-autumn festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month of the Chinese calendar, and Chinese believes that the moon tonight will be the roundest and brightest. In tradition, Chinese usually will grab a chair and sit outside in the garden, admiring the moon, with a slice of mooncake, and a nice cup of Oolong tea. Children will be outside carrying colourful paper lanterns, and lit the whole front gate with colourful mini candles. Oh, how much I miss those nostalgic moments…
The best thing about mooncake festival, is definitely the mooncake itself. It is definitely one of my favorite chinese sweet (or pastry). A thin layer of soft crust enclosed a very thick filling which usually is made of lotus seed paste, and inside sometimes may contain one or two of salted duck egg yolks. It is a very rich and heavy cake, so usually are cut in wedges and share among friends and family, accompanied with Chinese tea.
Mid-Autumn festival is actually an important day for the Chinese culture. It is a day for the young ones to come home to the elderly, and have a family reunion dinner together. There is even a poem written about this nostalgic moment by an ancient Chinese poet, Li Bai.
床前明月光，疑是地上霜。
举头望明月，低头思故乡。rough translation:- above the bed outside the window, the moon is so bright; you are in a foreign land and the land is covered in snow. Head held high and look at the bright moon, lower your head (because of teary eyes) because you miss home tremendously.
Me being so far from home, kind of makes me sad that I can’t go home to be with family, enjoying a home cooked meal together. Usually I will make a long phone call home, talk to my parents and wishing them well. On this special occasion, you are not supposed to be alone. So I’ve invited friends over and I am cooking up a Chinese meal tonight. I am sure we will have a great time, sharing few stories over a slice of mooncake or two, with a nice cup of Jasmine tea.
So make sure you check out the full moon tonight, and make a call to your family or loved ones to say hi.
A Table For Two (ATFT) is Billy Law's food blog that features best eats in Sydney and around the world with drool-worthy food photography to salivate your appetite. I also throw in a smidgen of my food and travel photography for good measure. Billy Law also happened to be a contestant on MasterChef Australia 2011. 
Those look so good. I love mooncake.
hey, I like the wording (eng) – Happy Mooncake Festival on the pic. Which programme R u using to do the artwork ?
I like them with thick skin
Somehow, the thin ones are akin to eating a whole lump of filling
Lauren: Thanks, I love mooncake too! It is the best time to indulge yourself with bit of sweetness.
Denish:Thanks Denise, HAPPY mooncake to u too! I use photoshop to do all my editing work.
Pablo: Hmmmm…. gimme filling! thick and sweet!!! LOL…. I missed “bing pei” mooncake actually… don’t see them often here in Australia.
I just clicked over from the Leftover Queen’s forum. Stunning photos! And I live in Australia too!
What a great blog!
i’ve never had a mooncake before. that top photo is beautiful!
Hot Garlic: Hey! Thanks for dropping by! I like your blog and love ur food even more!
Michelle: Hey, mooncake is an indulgence and recommend in small doses. I am sure you can find them in Chinatown wherever you are.
Mmmmm, yum! Happy Mooncake Festival.
I’m gonna get myself down to Chinatown…
Your photos are absolutely gorgeous.
May i ask what camera you used, as I myself would like to purchase a SLR to start but have no idea which. Your suggestion would be most appreciated.
Thank you, and keep up the beautiful photos.