Happy Mid-autumn festival to all of P's readers! Today is the 15th of the 8th Lunar month, known as the Mid-Autumn (Zhong Qiu) or Mooncake Festival, because of the traditional cakes eaten during this time. Traditionally, families would be gathering tonight to gaze on the bright yellow Harvest moon and eat pomeloes (a tart fruit) and Moon Cakes, but given that it's been pouring rain outside since 6pm, I guess we'll keep the activities indoors.

There are quite a few myths connected to the Mid-Autumn Festival, the best known of which is that of Chang Er, the Moon Fairy. In the version P learned at school, Hou Yi was a famous archer who lived in a mythical China which sweltered under the heat of 10 suns. Crops were failing and lakes dessicating in the heat, when the Emperor of China summoned Hou Yi, commanding him to use his archery to shoot down the extra suns. Hou Yi complied, leaving one sun burning so that the earth would not be completely dark. As a reward, Hou Yi was given an Immortality pill, which would grant him eternal life. However, the pill could not be taken before special preparations (fasting etc) were undertaken. Hou Yi took the pill home to his beautiful wife, Chang Er, and instructed her to keep the pill in a safe place. However, Hou Yi had an apprentice Peng who coveted the pill and made plans to steal it. One day, when Hou Yi was away, Peng stormed into Chang Er's room and forced her to reveal the pill's hiding place. In order to prevent the evil Peng from gaining the pill, Chang Er swallowed it herself. Immediately she felt herself become lighter and lighter, and flew up to the moon. Upon reaching the moon, she coughed up part of the pill, which transformed into a hare. Today, you can still see the shadows of the woman and the hare on the moon, if you look hard enough.

Another myth concerns the origins of moon cakes. Apparently these round cakes came about during the Yuan dynasty when a group of dissidents planned a revolt against the opressive Mongols. As gatherings were banned, the rebels came up with idea of distributing moon cakes to the Han population (Mongols didn't eat mooncakes), each containing the time and date for the rebellion. The rebels attacked and overthrew the Mongols and started the Ming dynasty, all thanks to Moon Cakes!

P has eaten quite a few traditional (baked lotus seed paste with or without salted egg yolks) mooncakes this year. She has also tried a few weird and wonderful variations, including Szechuan Gardens Rum & Raisin Chocolate Truffle, Raffles Hotel traditional and Champagne Truffle Mooncakes etc. They're not bad, but if she wanted chocolate truffle, she would have ordered chocolate truffle - guess the hotels and restaurants are catering to the jaded palate nowadays.

P thought mooncakes were getting rediculously expensive at between $24-45 a box of 4. That was until she read about the luxe St Regis Almond Snowskin with Premium Birds' Nest and Custard Paste at $228 for 8 mini-mooncakes!! View the details at this post on ieat.ishoot.ipost here. Apparently the silly pastry is gilded with pure gold leaf - ieat.ishoot.ipost recommends it as the ultimate "impress your future in-laws before the wedding" gift. I think it would only impress on P how daft a person would have to be to spend so much on 8 miniature pastries.

Hope you got to enjoy a few mooncakes today anyway!