A FULL GOLDEN TIME

At this time of year we remember the Red Turban Rebellions (紅巾起義 'hung gan hei yi') against the foreign dynasty nearly seven centuries ago. And, given the huge resettlements ordered in the first years of the Ming, it is fitting that people think of their distant kin and home towns. To put it differently, its mooncake time. The Autumn Festival (中秋節'jung chau jit').

Basically, moon viewing and moon worship, ancient shamanism and rejuvenatory concepts dating back over two millennia, harvest time, thanksgiving, gratitude, family, friends, and insurrection. All rolled into one giant ball of wax. Plus pastries.

Those of us who do not participate in religious practices focus mostly on the pastries.
The historical aspects too, but the pastries hold serious weight.

I gave some mooncakes (月餅 'yuet bing') to my downstair neighbors yesterday. She's SF Cantonese, he's East Coast Caucasian. Single yolk red bean paste (單黃豆沙 'daan wong dau saa') and double yolk lotus seed paste (雙黃蓮蓉 'seung wong lin yung').


Snarfing pastries is how I celebrate most festivals.
I'm not really a family feast type of man.
Uncle Stinky, a bachelor.




==========================================================================
NOTE: Readers may contact me directly:
LETTER BOX.
All correspondence will be kept in confidence.
==========================================================================