Celebrating the Moon

Mid-Autumn Celebration in this current years had been celebrated in a simple way, and this year without my brother joining us. When I was younger, we would usually gather at my grandparents house. These years, we will usually be settling it with a dining out at my parent’s favorite Chinese restaurant. How much did you actually know about the Chinese Moon Festival, or better known as the Mid-Autumn Celebration or Mooncake Festival? If you are interested to read up a few numbers of legendary stories, which tell the celebration's history, read up about it here.

So, what is the significance of glorifying Mid-Autumn without moon cakes? We never missed having moon cakes served on the dining table with a teapot of Chinese China Tea (like how the boss called it), and I used to be a very light moon cake eater for any mooncakes that come with lotus paste, until this year where I walloped quite a bit and fell in love with the less sugar versions in all the moon cakes gifted. We were showered with moon cakes most of the years and this year we received three boxes, where 2of them were given by my parent’s acquaintances and another one from the boss :)

Tai Thong moon cakes, all four pieces were double yolk with white lotus paste. I love their packaging so much. The cheerful design imprinted on the cover very much resembles the joyous celebration. Look up for their other designs of gift boxes (under packaging tab in their website), they have specially designed boxes to resemble different season in a year. How cute. Likey! Themoon cakes were tight in sugar content, very much to my liking. I broke the record eating the highest amount of moon cakes in my entire life :)

Tai Thong moon cakes

The one below was courtesy of the boss. Whenever I was given the autonomy to choose, me being the typical me, I was easily enticed to fancy looking products available in the stores. I was kind of attracted to pie moon cakes such as this and this displayed at on the rack, but the boss commented that they don't look that-mooncake-y. Lol. Like previous years, we landed at Multi Bake and this time, I went for their souvenir package for it was the only package available that came in tin case (I have soft spot for tin cases! ;)). I handpicked two different traditional moon cakes; white lotus double yolks (since this was the first moon cake gift we received, little did I expect that we will be receiving a whole box of all white lotusdouble yolk's days after). Another one was mixed nuts moon cake as I know it was one of my dad's favorite.

Multi Bake's moon cakes

True enough, dad enjoyed the mixed nuts variant to bits. The only comment was it was a little too chunky compared to previous years, thus slightly drier. When he saw the pies moon cake sometime after that at Ngiu Kee,he commented the same as the boss; and added that old-school moon cakes are invariably the best. Well, I think that roosters somehow shared the same mind. By the way,I am girdled with 3 roosters; dad the fire rooster, the boss as the metal rooster and my bro, the water rooster respectively.

Mixed nuts moon cake

These homemade jelly moon cakes came in abox of 4, courtesy of a friend of my parents. One of them in purple has been given to a friend before it reaches home. These lovely moon cakes tasted as lovely as its look. The pink one has red bean paste jelly as filling, orange one with mango jelly filling and the yellow colored moon cake came with corn jelly filling.

Homemade Jelly moon cakes

Each year, what made me feel delighted most was the after-consumption affair :P. I heart every kind of gift boxes/tins that comes with the moon cakes. Here’s my collection thus far, these empty boxes/tins are occupying quite an ample section in my cupboard. Be it any brandname of mooncakes, you’ll get a unique and different design each year; sometimes dependingon the type of moon cakes you purchase too.

Some of the empty gift boxes/tins

They will come in very handy whenever I wanted to organize my stuffs and definitely save me a bit from splurging money for boxes :). Earlier this week, I have started to make use of some of them tostore my souvenirs or small gifts, to store my sewing kits and craft materials and what-nots. Another one to store my stacks of receipts O.o. Yes, I do keep certain receipts to trace my what-where-when for all my happy purchases and good food :P. I should really make it a habit to pen them down into a notebook instead. Aits, guess the old habit in me dies hard ;P

Cardboard gift boxes

Moon cake tin gift boxes

Now you tell me, how to not keep such pretty and intricately designed gift boxes? :). I know this post came out rather late, and one can even get mooncakes for half the retail price by now. Lol. Nevertheless, Happy belated Mid-Autumn, peeps :)