It’s that time of year again when numerous offerings of every variety of mooncake are given as part of one of China’s most important festivals, the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls today this year.
The giving and eating of mooncakes with family and friends is an integral part of the celebrations — the festival falls at the time of year where the moon appears to be at its fullest, which for Chinese symbolizes togetherness and reunion.
The giving of mooncakes has become so prolific, it is said, that millions of the tiny delicacies end up being thrown in the garbage each year, their recipients receiving so many that there is no chance to savour them all.
What do foreigners think of mooncakes and the Mid-Autumn Festival? What do mooncakes symbolize, and which flavours are best? Shanghai Daily asked some foreigners in Shanghai.
Tran Thuy Linh, 28, Vietnam
I’ve tried mooncakes many times before, because we also celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival and eat mooncakes in Vietnam. They’re delicious, but a little too sweet for me. My favourite flavour is green bean, and for me it’s best if you eat them while you drink tea. Traditionally speaking, when we eat mooncake, we first cut it into several pieces and then it is shared by the whole family. In Vietnamese culture, Mid-Autumn Festival celebrates kids, so it’s quite different from the Chinese version.
Simon Velarde, 34, Peru
I tried my first mooncake in 2009, and then didn’t eat another one until last year. What did I think of it? Well, the fact that I hadn’t eaten one in 6 years says something! Maybe it’s an acquired taste? I think we can compare this festival with the North American thanksgiving. During Mid-Autumn Festival I think people give thanks for good crops, fortune, and getting the family together, and they sit around and try to acquire a taste for mooncakes!
Magadi Osupeng, Botswana
I have tried mooncake once before, actually in Chinese class back in Botswana, but I found it was not so pleasing. I just ate a small piece at that time, so I tried it again last year to give mooncake another chance, and unfortunately I still didn’t like it much. I didn’t know they had different flavours, maybe I ate the wrong one! In my understanding, Mid-Autumn Festival means Chinese people travel a lot and eat lots of mooncakes!
Kristin Jürgenson, Estonia
I think one of the most interesting aspects of Mid-Autumn Festival is the increasing commercialism around these mooncakes. It’s much like Christmas in that regard, because people are expected to give mooncakes to prove they care about their friends and family, but at the same time people receive so many mooncakes that it becomes a kind of a burden. I do really appreciate the moon watching aspect of the Mid-Autumn Festival. I think looking at the full moon with your loved ones is just beautiful.
Oliver Luen, 31, Britain
There are many different kinds of mooncakes, and I tried my first one when I was living in Xi’an, but at that time I was more open to them. Nowadays I won’t eat them unless absolutely necessary. My favourite flavour is the Shanghainese meat ones, because they’re more like sausage rolls. The Mid-Autumn Festival celebrates the middle of autumn where the moon appears at its fullest, but it seems more for poets in ancient times than for us nowadays.
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