Caltrops and Yam


Horn and Yam
Originally uploaded by williamnyk.
During my childhood, the Mid-Autumn festival was a time of cheap mooncakes (those that came in stacks), nightly lantern-toting sessions and playing with candles. Now, city kids only eat mooncakes that cost more than $10.00 per piece. Gone are the simple flavours of read bean, lotus paste and mixed nuts. Buying mooncakes these days is a confusing affair of brands and 'innovative flavours'. Many new manufacturers are joining the fray now. 10 years ago, KLT and HWT were considered premium brands. Fast-forward today, you get many new players from bakeries, hotels and restaurant out to grab a piece of the mooncake market. Flavours are also getting stranger and stranger by the day. Durian, green tea and chocolate used to be special, but now we get wolfberry, ginseng, black sesame, dragon fruit, haw flakes, ginger, spirulina, mochi, tiramisu, coconut, cheese, berries, cofee... you name it, they've got it. In addition to the flavours, packaging has also gone a little overboard. From simple metal boxes, we now get plywood boxes, cloth pouches and other fancy styles embellished with chinese knots and gold trim. It has become a headache. Eating mooncakes is no longer fun. I now find it too sweet. Our tastes change as we age, I guess.

Other than mooncakes, another staple during the mooncake festival at my home is the mini yam and caltrops. The mini yams would just be steamed and eaten with sugar and caltrops boiled in salted water. I love the starchy insides. I don't know if caltrops is the right word to call it, but I saw it on a sign in The Store. You wouldn't want to put the 'other' caltrops into your mouth.

Lanterns used to be just the collapsible paper or coloured-plastic-over-metal-wire variety. But now, we see plastic, battery-operated lanterns. Stuff in some batteries, flip the swith, and voila-- flashing lights and some annoying muzak like "Moonlight Sonata". Takes the fun outta things. Anyway,

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Comments

thompsonboy said…
U call those ugly black thing caltrops? anyway its ewwww for me. Yam is also ewwww for me.
Anonymous said…
I just bought a few water caltrops at 99 Ranch Market in San Jose, CA. I understand they must be boiled before eating, but I think I'll save them for ornaments -- to me they look like little bats, just in time for Halloween. I saw where you can make a spinning toy of them -- makes me want to be a kid again!
Mr RM said…
Is that's the name Caltrops? I have always wondered why we have caltrops, yam and mooncakes --
not to eat but offerings to the Buddha....

I guess, my family tradition has not changed much... mooncake festival is more about prayers than just eating mooncakes

Oh yeah, i like fancy mooncake boxes....
Anonymous said…
i remember hating mooncakes, but i'd still love playing with lanterns..:)though i'm not chinese, i used to get various lanterns from neighbours... seronok betul!.. and used to have my gang who will go jalan2 on the street..don't see that happening often now..
William said…
@Daniel:
I understand the "Ewwwww" factor. The caltrops may look like some alien eggs, but the insides are nice. The yams are really berlendir, a bit like alien drool too.

@Sherry:
Oh, can get them in the US as well? Spinning toys? Yeah, my mum told me about that. Thanks for dropping by.

@Searcher:
Long time no see. Prayers? Didn't know it was of significance in buddhism. Isn't it more of a culture?

@Mel:
You're more Chinese than you realize, specifically Hokkien. Remember your sister's wedding? The phoenix eyes. Hehe.
Anonymous said…
excuse me...i'm proud of my squinty/mata-sepet/don't laugh, your eyes dissapered/slitty/ eyes k.. hhmmm... and my ability to curse in Hokkien..

Popular posts from this blog

Coat West Star II: Sho

Kensei

Osamu or Naoya?