I am writing these just hours ahead of the fifteen day of the eighth lunar month in the Chinese calendar (which this year falls on 30th September). This is the Mid-Autumn Festival, or Zhōngqiū Jié, which coincides more or less with the autumnal equinox in the solar calendar. The tradition dates back to the Western Zhou dynasty, approximately 3000 years ago, but has its roots in the legends featuring Chang’e, the mythical goddess of the moon and of immortality. Indeed, on that day, the full moon seems fuller and brighter, and is the perfect symbol of Tuan yuan, or reunion. The festival is therefore dedicated to get-togethers with family and friends.
That makes it a good time to start writing on Bassifondi again, after a few months’ break. I almost always take a break when I go back to Italy. Maybe because of the problems that come with the trip, or because it is easier to perceive the differences. Maybe because in this elsewhere that is Asia I am in that frame of mind that allows you to see a story in the smallest, simplest everyday occurrences.
That’s what happened a few days before Zhōngqiū Jié. When I got back to Bangkok, I contacted Jackie Ho, my Master on the roof, the chef I meet on the rooftop terrace of my block who teaches me Hung Fut Pai, a school of Kung Fu originating from southern China. Jackie replied that he couldn’t teach me at the moment because he was too busy making Mooncakes, a delicacy traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is more widely known as Mooncake Festival. These cakes are a kind of soft biscuit made with sesame seed paste, lotus seed paste (in the more expensive version), red bean paste and a duck egg yolk. Jackie’s are a little smaller (40 grams instead of 160), they contain a few secret ingredients and are made solely by hand. This is why they are considered some of the best to be found in Asia and are a major selling point for Bangkok’s Peninsula Hotel at which my Sifu (or Master) is executive chef of all Chinese cuisine at the Mei Jiang restaurant.
They are extremely popular delicacies (with a beautiful red filling and golden dragon decoration) and as many as 3846 a day are baked to keep up with demand. Which explains why Jackie currently has no time for kung fu despite having a 27-strong staff of chefs working for him.
He is so busy that he finishes work late at night, which is how he ended up knocking at my door with a box of mooncakes at 11pm.
Perhaps this little story explains why many people choose to live in this part of the world. And why these little stories make me want to start writing again. Early tomorrow morning, after eating a mooncake or two for breakfast.

photo: The Nation

“A cloud becomes multi-coloured when it reflects the sun and a mountain stream turns into a waterfall when it drops down a cliff-face. Things change when they encounter other things. This is why so much value is attached to friendship”.
Chang Chao (XVII century)