Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncake and Pu'erh

gingkoseto wrote:These are so pretty!
Those cakes with 4 circles on them, are they four-yolk cakes? So far I've only had double-yolk ones.
I keep quite a few moon cake boxes around house to hold various things

I am not sure which 4 circles you are referring, but i like four yolk cakes also

My mum said it would cost cheaper if I just buy 4 salted eggs and eat the yolks instead. There isn't much left for the mooncake with four yolks in it... hehe

I have not go shop for mooncake this year, maybe i'll find time to go see what are nice in the booths in mall this year. It is common to buy mooncakes and gift people when it is near the festival.

by **auhckw** » Aug 28th, '11, 11:06

Re: Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncake and Pu'erh

by auhckw » Aug 28th, '11, 11:06

Saw this in a catalog...

http://www.yu-ai.com.my/product05.php

I wonder is other country producing such nice packaging moon cakes...

by **auhckw** » Aug 29th, '11, 07:46

Re: Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncake and Pu'erh

by auhckw » Aug 29th, '11, 07:46

Was at Starbucks... they even have mooncakes

by **TomVerlain** » Aug 29th, '11, 15:35

Re: Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncake and Pu'erh

by TomVerlain » Aug 29th, '11, 15:35

now that is amusing. Do you need to ask for venti for a two yolk one ?

by **auhckw** » Aug 29th, '11, 17:10

Re: Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncake and Pu'erh

by auhckw » Aug 29th, '11, 17:10

TomVerlain wrote:now that is amusing. Do you need to ask for venti for a two yolk one ?

It seems like Starbucks has been selling mooncake over the previous years

http://www.google.com.my/search?q=starc ... 66&bih=610

by **auhckw** » Sep 10th, '11, 10:45

Re: Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncake and Pu'erh

by auhckw » Sep 10th, '11, 10:45

Came back home and these on the table

by **apache** » Sep 11th, '11, 11:59

Re: Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncake and Pu'erh

by apache » Sep 11th, '11, 11:59

Well, time of the year again, it's tomorrow. There are many Chinese poems and literature works about the moon and Mid-Autumn Festival. Here is one came into my mind by Su Shi (1037-1101 A.D.)

明月幾時有？把酒問青天
不知天上宮闕，今夕是何年。
我欲乘風歸去，唯恐瓊樓玉宇，高處不勝寒。
起舞弄清影，何似在人間。
轉朱閣，低綺戶，照無眠。
不應有恨，何事長向別時圓？
人有悲歡離合，月有陰晴圓缺，此事古難全。
但願人長久，千里共嬋娟。
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　~ 蘇軾

Don't even try to copy and paste into Google Translate, it would make absolutely no sense at all. It's in classical literature Chinese, difficult even for native Chinese speaker.
You can find Wikipedia translated version here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shui_diao_ge_tou

But I much prefer the interpretation on this site (in Chinese):
http://www.epochtimes.com/b5/7/9/22/n1843341.htm

Here is my translation and interpretation of the poem using the information from the above site:

==================================================================
When was the moon formed from the beginning? I raise my wine goblet and asked God.

I do not know any palace in heaven dwelt by the immortals nor which year is tonight Mid-Autumn Festival.

I also want to ride on the wind and ascend into the sky to the immortals' jade palace, but I fear that I might not withstand the cold in high places.

In the end, I'm staying where I am and dancing in the bathing moonlight.

Shifting moonlight shines on red brightly decorated buildings and shines lowly through the highly ornate carved doors and windows and onto those who cannot sleep with troubled mind.

The moon should not have any grudge against anyone but why is it always when one has just parted from love one and feeling lonely, it is especially bright and full?

Life is always full of comings and goings and the moon is always waxing and waning. One cannot wish for staying together eternally as this is untenable since ancient times.

Although separated in distance, so long as people are safe, we can still through thousands of miles, sharing the "internet"*!

==================================================================

*Well, my bit of literature graffiti to lighten the tone! It should be "beautiful moonlight". :mrgreen:

by **TomVerlain** » Sep 11th, '11, 14:02

Re: Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncake and Pu'erh

by TomVerlain » Sep 11th, '11, 14:02

Thanks for the poem and translation.

Here is my little tribute to the autumn festival - I mail ordered mooncakes from Kee Wah in LA.

Tea stuff from ming to contemporary. Plate is from Tek Sing, covered box is Hoi An. Gaiwan and Yixing covered jar are probably mid to late 1800's or so, tea cup is probably ming.

by **auhckw** » Aug 31st, '12, 10:28

Re: Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncake and Pu'erh

by auhckw » Aug 31st, '12, 10:28

Just around the corner...

by **apache** » Aug 31st, '12, 10:36

Re: Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncake and Pu'erh

by apache » Aug 31st, '12, 10:36

auhckw wrote:Just around the corner...

Time of the year again.

Haven't heard you for ages.

by **the_economist** » Aug 31st, '12, 11:33

Re: Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncake and Pu'erh

by the_economist » Aug 31st, '12, 11:33

Hallo auhckw, mooncake fest again indeed.

No mooncakes for me this year...but I'll have more tea to compensate!

by **auhckw** » Aug 31st, '12, 20:02

Re: Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncake and Pu'erh

by auhckw » Aug 31st, '12, 20:02

How time flies. This is my 3rd year having mooncake + puerh

apache, it has almost been 2 months I didn't step into tea shops. Nothing much new lately. As for Dayi, this year seems like a slow year. Not much new special production yet. Anyway, I'm still visiting TeaChat almost every other day (invisible) :lol:

the_economist, mooncakes are getting more expensive year by year. 1 piece is now about MYR 17 (USD 5.6) onwards depending on what flavor / stuffing inside. Better use the money buy tea better :mrgreen: