Commercialization of the Moon Festival | Red Cook
But nothing beats the creativity of a Hong Kong lifestyle merchant GOD. Last year they started marketing a line of “moon” cakes in the shape of four buttocks at various stages of exposure. You may already know that the Moon Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunar calendar. But you may not know that “15th day of 8th Month” also means the buttocks in the Cantonese dialect. Playing on a multi-lingual pun GOD created an irresistible concept. The “moon” cakes were so popular that this year they’ve expanded the line to eight designs.
oh capitalism. you offer commercialism and creativity (born out of competition) in one very ambivalent package. although … the commercialization of the mid-autumn festival / capitalizing on selling mooncakes doesn’t really bother me … at all. i mean, does it really take away from the delectable joy of eating mooncakes in the fall if we get to eat more varieties for more weeks? i think our asian ancestors would say no, eat as much as you want for as long as you want because plentifulness is a luxury and a modern circumstance that we take for granted. the very spirit of the mid-autumn festival entitles us to celebrate the fortune of having bountiful and beautiful food in our lives.
