Under the Harvest Moon

Have you noticed how big and round the moon is at this time of year?  She is eerily beautiful - the moon! It is also the time of year where ghouls and goblins roam the streets (or at least installed at the front doors as decorations).  As a Viet American, I've never understood the celebration of the macabre at this time of year. Here in Little Saigon, we celebrate the season by eating Moon Cake.

Moon Cake is one of the best Asian delicacies but the least well-known.  It is work-intensive to make and oh so delish!  A box of 4 moon cakes goes for $20 in Little Saigon; and if you buy them individually it would be $6 per cake.  Yeah, ouchie on the pocket book!  My favourite place to go is Sun Moon Bakery in the TK Shopping complex.  Not only does the proprietress makes the bestest moon cakes ever... she sells one box for $20 and the second box is free!

Moon cakes come in a variety of flavours:  combination would have a mix of egg yolks, nuts and meats in the center;  lotus or taro flavours would be sweet, balanced out by a slightly salty egg yolk;  same with green beans and red beans flavours  - which are sweet bean pastes surrounding a salty egg yolk;  and recently the Sun Moon proprietress began making the exotics such as green tea ice cream flavour as well.


While Westerners adore the sun (symbolized by "yang" or male element), people in the Far East admire the moon for its beauty and elegance.  The moon is "ying" and is the perfect female counterpart.  Eating moon cake with jasmine tea is heavenly.  Life would only get better if you do so, while in the company of great friends!

Children really enjoy the Harvest Moon Festival because they "harvest" money, candies and brightly-lit lanterns during this special occasion.  Vietnamese lengends have it that a pair of long lost lovers,  she - the daughter of an emperor,  he - a poor farmer's boy, fell in love but were forbidden to be together in life.  In death, on one special night of the year, under the brightest Autumn moon, a bridge is made in heaven to release all in the spirit world to roam the earth.  Under this harvest moon, the lovers are re-united once more to rekindle their romance, one night out of the year.  The children's brightly-lit lanterns are said to guide the way for the lovers to find each other.  Vietnamese families also throw candies onto the street to "placate" grumpy spirits!  As I'm writing this, I'm struck by how similar it is to the legends of All Hallow's Eve.  Wow! did I say earlier that I don't understand the celebration of the macabre?

So, as the chill in the air is nipping at my heels, I am going to put up strawmen and autumn leaves as decorations all over the house.  No ghouls or goblins for my family.  But I do hope that lovers all over the world re-unite, and enjoy this season. As autumn will surely stretch into winter, let me go and enjoy my moon cakes before packing on the pounds and feeling too guilty for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Until next time friends.... stay young, stay romantic, stay delightful!

-Joie DeVire