Nope…there will not be a new moon on Monday, not yet but there will be a full moon tonight as it’s the 15th of the 8th month on the Chinese lunar calendar which means that it is the Mooncake Festival today.
I noticed that my regular mini-supermarket near my house had not brought in a lot of those mooncakes made in West Malaysia this year, the obvious reasons being the economic slowdown and also the astronomical prices. I had a peep at ONE and I saw RM13.50 on the price tag. No, thank you!
But to keep the tradition alive, I bought the Foochow Mooncake Festival biscuits that I have loved ever since I was a child…
They range from RM3.50 to RM4.00 a packet but most of them are not halal as they contain lard (mengandungi lemak babi). They used to be square (and were more fragrant) but this particular brand is round or circular in shape and thus may symbolise the moon better…
We do have our own locally-produced mooncakes but needless to say, they are not as nice as those from the popular West Malaysian producers like Tai Thong or Baker’s Cottage and what have you. But what they lack in quality, they certainly make up for it in the pricing. These small ones are only RM2.50 for four…
…with kacang hijau (green bean) paste…
Then we have these regular-sized Made-in-Sarikei ones at only RM7.50 for four…
I felt they were very nice – maybe not as nice as the ultra-expensive ones but I actually liked them a lot…
They even have a nicer packing these days – no longer the red paper with gold lettering that we used to see in the past. I did see a few of those in the shop…but I did not get any of that type. The “pek tau sar” (white bean paste) inside these that I had bought tasted very good…
…and at less than RM2.00 each, I could see no cause to complain.
I really wonder who in their right mind would go and buy mooncakes at over RM10.00 each and around RM50.00 a box, not that they are THAT irresistably delicious. I certainly can think of a lot of nicer things that I can go and enjoy with that kind of money.
Anyway, a Happy Mooncake Festival to one and all…
P.S.:
There is a lantern extravaganza going on right now here in Sibu – what they call the 1st Borneo Lantern Festival, being held in conjunction with the Mooncake or Lantern Festival. Anybody interested can drop by rubberseeds’ blog to have a look at his beautiful photos. Just click the link HERE.
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
The good old days, having to wait for the mooncake festival to be over, then, the mooncakes are sold cheaply. That’s what my dad used to do back then.. Yesterday, found a mooncake on my table with a card wishing me a happy mooncake festival but no sender’s name. wondering who the person is. Do not dare to eat it…. just in case……
LOL!!! Maybe a secret admirer? Wink! Wink!….Ya! When I was teaching, I used to get a lot of mooncakes but mostly the jelly type…and the ones with the other type of skin – snow-skin or whatever it’s called, both of which I do not really care for. They used to sell them dirt-cheap at Ta Kiong the day after the festival…but lately, they were all sold out. Maybe with the poor economy, there will be lots left this year…so can drop by tomorrow and see…
Here per moon cake,$8.50.Plain ones,with yolk more. Got a box as a present from a friend. I prefer the ‘ baby-mouse’biscuits n the no.1 pic u put up.
Good Lord! That would be some RM30…*pengsan… I do not like the baby-mouse variety, so I do not buy those. That’s why I have not featured them in the post…
Yeah! The price is too absurd sometimes. :p But then…sometimes…I thing it is ok to buy them despite the insane price. Ha 😀
Well, it’s everyone’s own prerogative…but I certainly do not intend to waste my hard-earned money like that!
I never liked mooncakes.
They’re too sweet!
A better name would be diabetes cakes!
LMAO!!!…You have a quaint way of putting it!
Happy Autumn Festival to you too! I will do a special post on some special mooncake too! (soon) hehe
Special? Actually, I’m very traditional – bean or to the most, lotus paste. All those durian, chocolate, cheese, green tea and what not…somehow or other, I feel that the traditional/cultural identity is lost somewhere along the way.
Over here also got those package ones.. and pasar malams, markets also sells the cheaper ones.. i m not into the mooncakes, they r too expensive, my SIL gave me one box one week ago, it lasted till today… my girl told me not to buy the expensive ones..she prefer to eat the ones u shown above.. to her, they tasted just the same.. hahaha.. she doesnt know the difference yet… eat for the sake of eating only… maybe in few years time, she might know the difference, but as for me, i can buy the cheap ones… RM2 for one!
Ya…go for the cheap ones and boycott those daylight robbers! I went back to the mini-supermarket just now, all the cheap local-made ones sold out! Those expensive ones from West Malaysia still sitting there…untouched. I hear one supermarket giving 15% liao! Must go and see tomorrow – maybe 50% already by then! LOL!!!
Happy Mooncake festival to you and everyone. Spread the message around, and do continue this tradition.
Thanks and the same to you. Welcome to my blog and do drop by again. Will add you to my blogroll…
Muahahha… i tot is twilight new moon gonna show on monday. Muahahaha… happy mooncake festival!
Same to you. A fan of Twilight, are you? Don’t tell me you googled that and got here? LOL!!! Whatever, welcome and do come again. I’ve added you to my blogroll. Hopped by yours – very interesting – one photo and one song each post. Will go over and browse when free… Cheers!
hahaha. i not really a fan. i love movies. this movie a must watch 2009!
Hah!!! I’m afraid I don’t watch movies. Can’t sit for so long… LOL!!!
Can get Overseas brand mooncakes here also. For about $5.00 – $6.50 each, depending on whether got yolk or not. I bought 1 lotus-paste with yolk and 1 just plain lotus paste. I even saw the ‘ngiau chu boi’ hard biscuits, but i didn’t get. Don’t fancy them that much since it’s so hard.
That’s very cheap – without conversion, of course…and normally, people living overseas do not convert, unlike tourists or short-term visitors. Ya…I do not like the tikus thingy either – ever since young!
happy mid-autumn, stp!
and those moon cakes sure look yummy 😛
Thanks. Your Equatorial ones would definitely be a lot nicer, but a lot more expensive!
I’m having the delicious maxims mooncakes from hk again this year. YUM!
Happy mid-autumn to you! 🙂
Same to you and your family. Rub…rub…rub it in! This old. poor pensioner can’t afford the West Malaysian ones…much less those from HK!!! Hahahahahaha!!!
Happy Mid Autumn Festival to you! Those imported mooncakes price is really high now. I prefer the local or Kuching one as the skin of it is thicker and not like those imported ones, so thin like a paper.
I also like the skin to be thicker but some people prefer it to be very thin. Might as well just eat pure lotus paste…scoop with a spoon – the way we eat yam paste for dessert at the end of Chinese dinners here! LOL!!!
Happy “moon cake” festival to you and your family, hope you all have a good time.
I don’t really like to eat moon cake, maybe just one slice or two, not more than that, but your first picture remind me so long i never eat Sibu “moon cake”, my mum just sent me a small packet “mini mouse moon cake” last few days. hahahahhaha…
I don’t really care much for them either – just to keep up the tradition. I don’t like the “mouse tails”, that’s why I have not featured them in the post.
Ahhh, biscuit with lard…..taste good with it!
Used to be nicer when I was younger – seemed more fragrant then but like most things, the quality seems to have dropped over the years. Maybe it’s because we have a lot of nicer things now, so the old stuff doesn’t taste that good anymore…