I Like Them!

I was reading this fun article about mooncakes shaped like cell phones, when I noticed this line:

A couple nights back, I mentioned mooncakes at a dinner in Beijing and the table erupted in hilarity and derision — my hosts advised me that mooncakes are the Chinese equivalent of Christmas cakes — no one likes them, everyone gives them (I like Christmas cake!). They are haloed with weird possible urban legends, like the scandal of a mooncake manufacturer that was recycling last year’s filling because no one can taste the difference between year-old and fresh mooncake stuffin’.

WHAT?! How can this be?! I freaking love mooncakes!!! The Mid-Autumn Festival is like one of my favorite holidays ever, and I never get any gifts! While I am not a huge fan of that awful little yolk ball in the middle, that can be easily removed, and many cakes are sold without it. I prefer lotus seed, black bean, and red bean fillings, but I’ve had some other good fillings. Wiki had the following snippet:

But despite its central role in the Mid-Autumn festival, the popularity of mooncakes has declined in recent years. Part of the reason is that people are becoming more health-conscious. Traditional mooncakes are made with lard, and a lot of sugar. Another reason for the decline in popularity is that the Moon Festival has become increasingly commercialized. People are focusing more on the exchange of gifts, and less on the traditional celebrations, such that its symbolism has eroded. Many mooncakes are bought by businessmen who give them to their clients as presents.

I guess that makes some sense, but it doesn’t change the fact that mooncakes are delicious. Plus they’re not that large, and you don’t eat them that often, so what is the big deal about how unhealthy they are? I am very sad to learn that mooncakes are not held in esteem by people in China, because there is always a special place in my heart (and belly, and mouth) for the mooncake. In fact, I am honoring the mooncake by making this the first post that I used the new WP 2.3 feature of tagging on, in case I ever want to find this post again.

FNBA 2007-2008

It’s that time again, and my team L.A. Axe has been created. Time to get my crown back. I wonder if I will be able to get Lebron James for a third year in a row, lol.

Bible Fellowship

I had seen this comic before, but I never knew where it was from. I finally discovered The Perry Bible Fellowship, and while the comics are soooo wrong, they are also hilarious.

I Want To Eat One

I was writing about Claymore, and I had to look up something about turducken. You can’t talk about Claymore without mentioning turducken. It has this intriguing paragraph:

The largest recorded nested bird roast is 17 birds, attributed to a royal feast in France in the 19th century: a bustergophechiduckneaealcockidgeoverwingailusharkolanbler (originally called a Rôti Sans Pareil, or “Roast without equal”) - a bustard stuffed with a turkey, a goose, a pheasant, a chicken, a duck, a guinea fowl, a teal, a woodcock, a partridge, a plover, a lapwing, a quail, a thrush, a lark, an Ortolan Bunting and a Garden Warbler. The final bird is small enough that it can be stuffed with a single olive; it also suggests that, unlike modern multi-bird roasts, there was no stuffing or other packing placed in between the birds. This dish probably could not be recreated in the modern era as many of the listed birds are now protected species.

ZOMFG, I wonder how you would prevent it from tasting too gamey.