Mark Thorson wrote:
> It's moon cake season, as I can tell from the
> free samples passed out at the Asian food store
> on weekends. (Marina in Cupertino is best for
> samples, Maxim seldom has samples of anything,
> and Tin Tin closed several months ago.)
>
> After trying them once or twice, I turned them
> down because I thought they were made from bean
> paste and I don't eat beans. However, Wikipedia
> informs me that traditionally they are made from
> lotus seed paste, but cheaper ones may have white
> kidney beans added as a filler.
>
> Either way, I don't much like them. They look
> like fine pastries, and to Western sensibilities
> anything that looks like that should be sweet and
> luscious. Moon cakes are sweetened, but not
> nearly as much as I'd expect in a pastry filling.
> The filling is also dense, like peanut butter.
> I'd expect a much lighter filling in a pastry.
>
> I try to catch the latest news in the People's
> Daily (semi-official newspaper of the Communist
> Party of China), and they recently had an article
> about the new tax on moon cakes.
>
> http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90780/7589199.html
>
> Wow! Moon cakes are really expensive in China.
> It's a ridiculous tax, for reasons mentioned in
> the article. I suppose a "Moon Cake Party" could
> get traction, until the authorities became aware
> of it.
>
> Next time I'm offered a sample, I'll take it.
> I should re-evaluate whether they are really as
> uninteresting as I recall.
>
> I was thinking how a moon cake might be improved
> in the direction I would like, and it occurred to
> me that a lotus seed ganache might be interesting.
> Googling "lotus seed ganache" gets exactly one hit
> (probably more after I post this), so I'm not the
> first person to think of this. I don't think I'll
> bother trying to make it, though. Lotus seeds
> don't have much flavor, nor an interesting texture.
> Maybe I'll change my mind after having another
> sample.

I have to concur. I have bought moon cakes several times,
thinking that surely the boring ones I've had must be anomalies.
That seems not to be the case.

--
Jean B.