Q & A SESSION

So what is a moon cake?

A moon cake is something of a mystical confection made by technologically advanced Asians from the moon. They are typically round or rectangular puck-shaped pastries. The relatively thin, chewy crust surrounds a rich, dense, filling of sweet bean or nut paste with salted yokes - totally freaking awesome. They are almost always savored in small wedges with green tea while viewing the full moon with your dysfunctional family during the mid-Autumn festival. Modern variations of moon cakes have a glutinous rice skin, similar to that of a mochi. These addictive freaks-of-nature are known as "snow-skin moon cakes" or "ice-skin moon cakes".

In the early nineties, Haagen-Dazs followed on this innovation and created ice-cream moon cakes. I myself have released a restraining order against them for fear of an overdose. Because of the high lard content in traditional moon cakes (well why do you think they taste so good?), there are healthier versions of moon cakes made with yogurt, jelly, and sacrilegious fat-free ice cream. In my opinion, pork fat rules. And seriously, If you want to be a real Asian, you gotta eat the nasty stuff.

During the mid-Autumn festival which falls around early or mid October - depending on the moon calendar, you can find moon cakes in Chinese supermarkets and bakeries. They come in colorful tin boxes with drawings of super FOB (fresh-of-the-boat) looking girls on them. Check the expiration dates carefully since the rich fillings are prone to spoilage. I tend to buy the locally produced ones for fear of food poisoning.