Letter 5
Hi Tim, this is Jay. There was a Chinese festival in Taiwan this week---it's Mid-Autumn Festival. When is the Moon Festival celebrated? It's on August 15 in traditional Chinese calendar (lunar calendar). The lunar calendar isn't regular each month；for instance, September of the traditional Chinese calendar in 2016 is 29 days, but this year, 2017, it is 30 days in September of the traditional Chinese calendar. Nonetheless, it's still a little regular in the traditional Chinese calendar. The day in lunar calendar is 29~30 days；it's not beyond 30 days, and the least day is 29 days. And there are some customs on Mid-Autumn Festival, such as having some moon cakes, pomelos, barbecue and see the full moon with family. The moon cakes are so yummy；The pomelos are good for our intestines. and actually, I have no idea why Taiwanese always have a barbecue on the Moon Festival. There is no grounds of barbecuing on Mid-Autumn Festival.
Jay,
ReplyDeleteWhat are pomelos? I had the idea that they are some kind of fruit. Is that right?
The more that I learn about modern Taiwanese culture, the more I get the impression that one of the favorite things that everybody loves to is to barbecue. Don't ask me why, but it seems to be very popular.
When we barbecue, its usually steaks, hamburgers, and hot dogs, sometimes with corn on the cob. I've learned that in Taiwan, the "barbecue menu" is a lot longer. Just in the last couple of weeks, I've learned about "water bamboo", aspargeus, squid, oysters, and about every other kind of sea life that is cooked on the grill. Really? I'm impressed!
I'm still having a hard time calling it the "Mid-Autumn" festival when it's nearly 100F outside.
Keep writing!
Tim