Today is Mid-Autumn Festival, one of the most important festivals in Chinese and Vietnamese cultures. It is traditionally a time to give thanks for thriving crops, livestock and children. Chinese myths tell a story of Chang'e, the Moon Goddess of Immortality, who is also honored on this day. The festival is also commonly known as the Mooncake Festival because mooncakes are given and eaten in celebration with friends and family. Pickle was gifted a mooncake from one of his advisees, and we were excited to share it this evening in recognition of Mid-Autumn Festival.
While there are endless modern styles, with varying designs, crusts and fillings, ours was a traditional mooncake, with a lotus seed paste filling and salted duck egg yolk in the middle. The yolk represents the full moon. We ate it with Chinese tea, and the saltiness of the yolk and sweetness of the lotus seed paste complimented one another perfectly. We were grateful for the gift and the opportunity to try something new. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!