THE UNINVOLVED MAN

Courtesy of an insensitive acquaintance, I am cognizant once more of all the holidays I am so un-vested in as to rather dislike hearing about them nowadays. This pursuant a favourite celebration which is coming up, that has the saving grace of being, for me, largely about food.
One item. High sugar, high fat, high cholesterol.
Choice of several traditional flavours.
Plus one, or two, or three.


中秋節或八月節

This year the moon festival will occur on Monday, September 8.

The traditional food is the mooncake, that being a large hockey puck consisting of thin pastry surrounding a sweet filling. The top is usually embossed with a design that evokes the season, or a lucky phrase and various lucky images.

The most traditional filling is lotus seed paste, but other common fillings are adzuki paste, five fruits and nuts, candied melon, and several others, all based on sugar, fat, and a flavour that goes with sugar and fat.

Traditionally, a whole salted egg yolk is in the centre, contributing its own wonderful richness to the whole. Nowadays, one can find versions with two egg yolks, or even three.

Think of it as an ancient energy bar.
But a whole lot better tasting.
Caloric excess.

Yes, the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month has an immense overlay of family connotations, togetherness, rich folkloric tradition, home town memories, and all the rest of that good stuff, along with rebellion and conspiracy, which are also very popular tropes in Chinese culture.
But, being a Caucasian, for me it's all about the cake.
White people get to be kind of insensitive.
And anyhow, we lack culture.

Actually, I'm going to darn well ignore that family and home town business, seeing as I have little left of the first, and cannot really claim the second.

Lotus seed paste, with TWO salted egg yolks.
Yum babies, you betcha.



APPENDIX

The celebrations which now mean very little to me are listed below.

Chinese New Year.
Lantern Festival.
Superbowl Sunday.
Valentine's Day.
Carneval.
Purim.
Saint Patrick's Day.
Ching Ming.
Passover.
Easter.
The Queen's Day.
Bevrijdingsdag / Cinco de Mayo.
Mother's Day.
Gay Pride.
Father's Day.
Dragon Boat Festival.
Solstice.
Independence Day.
Bastille Day.
Rosh Hashanah.
Simchas Torah.
My Birthday.
Hallowe'en.
Dia de los Muertos.
Guy Fawkes Night.
Thanksgiving.
Saint Nicholas Eve.
Channukah.
Christmas.
Oud Jaar's Avond.

Most of these have special foods associated with them, and many are either community or family events embedded in specific cultures.
I'm a rather generic kind of fellow.
My bonds aren't very strong.
And I rain on parades.


PS. Already acquired two mooncakes, planning on more.
Don't stop me. I shall be on a roll.
Expect happy.



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