IT'S RAINING MOONCAKES

Mooncake season is upon us. And consequently, the tables in the back of AA Bakery (永興餅家 'wing hing bing kaa') were fully occupied by packaging activities. Except for one with an elderly uncle sitting at it. When I joined him he asked whether I was having coffee. Nope, naai chaa.

The AA Bakery makes splendid mooncakes.
Their offerings are stellar.

[永興餅家茶餐廳 AA BAKERY & CAFE, 1068 Stockton Street, San Francisco, CA 94108. 415-981-0123.]

The Mid Autumn Festival (fifteenth day of the eighth month) this year is on Saturday September 10. Mooncakes have been evident for the past two weeks, including the four-cake coloured boxes from Hong Kong, but the best are locally made.

For your reference, the most common types of mooncake:

純正蓮蓉月餅 ('juen jeng lin yung yuet bing'): no yolk lotus seed paste mooncake.
單黃蓮蓉月餅 ('daan wong lin yung yuet bing'): single yolk lotus seed paste mooncake.
雙黃蓮蓉月餅 ('seung wong lin yung yuet bing'): double yolk lotus seed paste mooncake.
純正豆沙月餅 ('juen jeng dau saa yuet bing'): no yolk red bean paste mooncake.
單黃豆沙月餅 ('daan wong dau saa yuet bing'): single yolk red bean paste mooncake.
雙黃豆沙月餅 ('seung wong dau saa yuet bing'): double yolk red bean paste mooncake.

One of my favourites is single egg yolk chestnut: 單黃栗子月餅 ('daan wong leut ji yuet bing'). I mention this in case you want to give me a box. Double yolk lotus seed paste also can.

The South China Morning Post had an article recently claiming that nobody really likes mooncakes, they just buy them because of tradition. Which was absurd on the face of it.
I didn't click on the article because I'm not insane. Chinatown is awash with the things. Each store has stacks as tall as a man of mooncake boxes. Even eateries which only have the most tenuous connection to baking sell tonnes of them. It's major.


There are over two more weeks to buy them. I might go ape.
Naturally I shall avoid the durian mooncakes (榴蓮月餅).
As will all reasonable people, I expect.



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