ottawa foodies

Costco was testing the market for Chinese mooncakes last year. The customer demand for the mooncakes was unprecedented - all the mooncake boxes from the first shipment were sold out within few days; the second and third shipment were also sold out very shortly. I later gave my feedback to Costco and told them that the mooncakes from the first shipment were good (they were made in Macau) and the ones made in China was too greasy and too sweet.

This year, Costco also brought in Mooncakes from Macau. I bought 5 boxes since the price was so good (about $11 per box, 4 mooncakes per box). The mooncakes made in Hong Kong by Kee Wah Bakery will cost me about $30-$45 per box at 168 grocery store or Kowloon Market. Mooncakes are traditionally expensive since production is labor-intensive.

Background information about mooncake (in case you don't know what it is):
Mooncake is a Chinese pastry traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival (August 15 in Chinese lunar calendar, a full-moon day). A thick pasty filling (normally lotus seed paste) is surrounded by a thin crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs in its center to symbolize the full moon. Mooncakes are rich, heavy, and dense compared with most Western cakes and pastries. The saltiness of the yolk balances well with the sweet lotus seed filling in the mooncake. They are usually eaten in small wedges accompanied by Chinese tea.

This is the box. Each box has 4 mooncakes. Each mooncake has 2 yolks.

The ingredients listed include: Lotus Seed, Sugar, Peanut Oil, flour, Cooked Duck Egg Yolk, Water. (No lard used).

P.S. Mooncakes are very traditional for Chinese. Canadian may not be used to this taste (especially the salted duck egg yolk). It takes time to build the taste bud for it.

Hi Ashley,
A Chinese colleague of mine brought in Mooncakes last August to share with us to celebrate this occasion.

He did not describe what it was before he passed it out, and as you mentioned, most people (canadians) were not used to this taste and did not really like it.

I am sad to report that as a self-proclaimed foodie, I too did not like the taste - I hate when that happens. I feel like such a foodie failure when I don't like something, and I really tried!!

Anyways, just thought I would mention this before the whole forum goes out and buys a box :) You may want to taste them first.....

ksw, you are right. Even for Chinese, either you like it or you don't. Besides, it is not healthy to eat many of this.

I remember that my kids used to say "Yuk! What is this?" when I gave them mooncakes. Now, they are a bit older and can't eat the mooncakes I gave them.

It was funny that when we checked out at Costco. The cashier said "Ah! Mooncakes. Lots of people are buying it today. I tried it." But she didn't continue and I know she didn't like it.

When I was a kid, I just picked the duck egg yolk out and only ate the moon. However, duck egg yolk is not something most of my Canadian friends like to eat. Ha ha. I remember in one Fear Factor TV show, the host was asking the contestants to eat 1000 years old egg. Actually, it was the preserved eggs we normally use to make congee.