Zhongqiu Jie

Moon Cakes, Moon Cakes everywhere. This was our first Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhongqiu Jie) and taste of moon cakes. If you are like me, you may think that moon cakes taste something like American moon pies, but unfortunately you too will be sorely disappointed. Like most desserts in China, they are not as sweet as American desserts. They come in many flavors, but the most popular are red bean, green tea, and pork. After receiving 4 boxes of different kinds, I have decided the Taiwanese are the best, but let's just say I won't be craving them anytime soon. Eric and Sophia, on the other hand, were big fans of them, especially the pork and red bean ones.

Views of Suzhou from Yang Cheng Lake
(Click on the picture above to see more pictures from our trip.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is also a national holiday, so that means an extra day off and a chance to travel. Since most Chinese spend the time with their extended families, we decided that we would take a short trip to get out of the bustle of the city. On Saturday, we headed northeast about an hour towards Suzhou to Yang Cheng Hu. This lake is famous for its hairy crabs, which still had a few more weeks to go before they were mature enough to be caught and eaten. We stayed in a very nice, family friendly hotel for two nights. We spent our days relaxing at the playground, swimming in the pool, or riding our bikes on the lake front and through the "water park". The best part of the weekend was that the kids were left alone to play like all of the other kids...no pictures and no touching. It was a well needed break for Doug as well, as he will be very busy the next few months before the plant that he has been building officially opens and starts producing product the first week in November.

We even trusted Doug to take us all to our first real Chinese dinner with the spinning table, chicken head, and crazy mushrooms.  And 24-hours later, I am happy to report that no one got sick!   

No Fear!



Choo-Choo!


Say moon cakes!