Mid-autumn festival around Asia —
Mid-Autumn Festival around Asia: If you close your eyes, these pastries taste like the traditional lotus seed paste and egg yolk delicacies typically eaten to mark the Asian Mid-Autumn Festival.With eyes open, it's hard to stifle a giggle when eating these cheeky versions of traditional mooncakes produced by Hong Kong retailer G.O.D. (Goods of Desire), a lifestyle store known for reworking Cantonese subculture into kitschy products (HK$288 for a box of four).
The Mid-Autumn, or fall, festivities are sometimes referred to as the "Moon Festival." It's marked on the day with the brightest full moon in the eighth month of the lunar calendar -- September 8 this year. Apparently the use of the word "moon" is enough to justify producing pastries in the shape of tushes.
Unavoidable this time of year around Asia, mooncakes typically pack a 1,000-calorie waistline-busting punch and most Chinese people admit that they don't even like the flavor.
So, why bother?
It all comes down to R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
In a culture in which buying expensive gifts for grandparents will garner a scolding from said grandparents, it's even worse to go to dinner empty-handed.
"It's an opportunity to show respect and build relationships," says Karlson Wong, head of sales and marketing at Kee Wah Bakery, one of Hong Kong's oldest original bakeries. "Ninety percent of people who buy mooncakes give them to others."
In recent years, the mooncake business has exploded with newer versions of the traditional pastry featuring artistic packaging and cool ice cream fillings. There are even do-it-yourself mooncake workshops.
by Laura Ma, for CNN
The mooncake's secret agenda —
The mooncake's secret agenda: One supposed origin of the mooncake is Yuan Dynasty revolutionaries who were said to use the cakes to pass secret messages between each other. In recent years, the pastries have had a controversial reputation with some business associates using them to pass hidden envelopes of cash or coupons for luxury goods, riding the fine line between gifting and bribing.
Duddell's limited-edition gift boxes —
Duddell's limited-edition gift boxes: These limited-edition mooncake boxes are reminiscent of Hong Kong artist Adrian Wong's Untitled Grate Series, which drew inspiration from designs seen in the city. The collaboration between Duddell's and 2014 Sovereign Asian Art Prize winner Wong present Michelin-starred executive chef Siu Hin-Chi's cream custard mooncakes in decorative motif and mosaic gift boxes.
Mira's COCO mooncakes —
Mira's COCO mooncakes: Lotus paste isn't everyone's idea of dessert. And so, while he poaches traditional mooncake shapes, Mira's pastry chef Jean-Marc Gaucher instead encloses Southeast Asian-spiced fruit in a premium chocolate shell to create his designer version.
Beijing's warrior lanterns —
Beijing's warrior lanterns: The "Beautiful Terracotta Warriors Lanterns" exhibition in front of the National Art Museum in Beijing was created to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. It will be on display in Sydney and Helsinki in coming months.
Penguin lanterns in Hong Kong —
Penguin lanterns in Hong Kong: Penguins are leading the cute pack during seasonal festivities in Hong Kong's Tsim Sha Tsui lantern parade. The harbor-side spot offers plenty for sightseers, including the nightly Symphony of Lights at 8 p.m.
Lantern toy land —
Lantern toy land: Hong Kong's Victoria Park is the hub of the territory's Mid-Autumn festivities, with performances and lantern carnivals. This year, organizers have opted for a toy theme. There's also traditional Hong Kong snacks for visitors waiting for the main event -- a dancing fire dragon.
Tai Hang fire dragon dance —
Tai Hang fire dragon dance: The Victoria Park fire dragon dance is accompanied by booming drums and consists of thousands of lit incense sticks.Now a trendy neighborhood beside Victoria Park in Hong Kong, Tai Hang village began performing the dragon dance to ward off bad luck plaguing the fishing and farming community in the 19th century.
Singapore China Town —
Singapore China Town: Floral lanterns hang above a street for the Mid-Autumn Festival in Singapore's Chinatown. The streets here will light up with 3,100 handcrafted flower lanterns and local performances. Just less than 75% of the Singaporean population is ethnically Chinese, according to the World Factbook.
Yichun lantern launch —
Yichun lantern launch: Locals and visitors in Yichun, in China's Jiangxi Province, release Kongming lanterns in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Launching lanterns is said to bring good luck.
Buying Chinese lanterns —
Buying Chinese lanterns: In Kuala Lumpur, malls are decorated with lanterns in preparation for the Mid-Autumn Festival.The festival is a popular East Asian celebration of abundance and togetherness said to have begun more than 3,000 years ago during China's Zhou Dynasty era.
