The Dark Side of the Mooncake

Today is the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhongjiu Jie), also sometimes called the Mooncake Festival or Lantern Festival. This is a popular harvest festival dating back over 3,000 years to the Chinese Shang Dynasty period. The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese calendar, which is sometime in September or October on the Gregorian calendar. It also corresponds with the Autumn Equinox when the moon is supposed to be at its fullest and roundest.

During this Mid-Autumn Festival period, many Chinese and Vietnamese are likely to consume a lot of delicious mooncakes.

These days, the mooncakes come in all sorts of interesting flavours ...

and shapes ...

There is also a story you might have heard about the role of mooncakes in a Chinese uprising against Mongol rulers (during the Yuan Dynasty) in the 14th century. In this tale (which I'm not sure is fully supported by historical facts), the mooncakes were used as an early form of e-mail ... the "e" being "edible" rather than "electronic" .LOL.  Anyway as group gatherings were banned, it was very difficult for the Chinese to make plans for a rebellion. So one bright chap called Liu Bowen (from Zhejiang), who was a confidant of the rebel leader Zhu Yuanzhang, suggested timing the rebellion with the Mid-Autumn Festival. He applied for and got permission to distribute thousands of mooncakes to Chinese residents in the city to bless the longevity of the Mongol emperor. Apparently the Mongols did not eat mooncakes, so inside each cake distributed was concealed a piece of paper with the message "Kill the Mongols on the 15th day of the eighth month". And on the night itself, the rebellion was successful and the Mongols were overthrown. The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was thus born.


Like everyone else, I like my mooncakes too. My favourites are tau sar, ling yun, single or double yolk and the ones with mixed nuts. Yummmmmmmy ...

However doctors and healthcare professionals have always been cautioning against over-indulging in mooncakes. They say that a small mooncake may contain as any calories as a bowl of rice! As mooncakes are generally made from flour, sugar and butter, one egg-yolk filled mooncake weighing about 60 g can contain up to 270 calories. That would take an averaged sized person about an hour to walk off, says a nutritionist friend of mine.

A health report from Taiwan that I read also noted that aside from moon cakes, many people also celebrate the festival by eating barbequed and processed meat, which are high in calories and sodium. Eating too much of such foods not only led to weight gain, but consuming more sodium than is recommended on a daily basis could also strain the kidneys and the cardiovascular system, the report said. Some health bureaus in China advised people to consume only moderate amounts of moon cakes and where relevant to substitute meat for vegetables such as mushrooms and green onions when having a barbeque. Pomelo, another traditional Mid-Autumn Festival food, is also recommended because of its high vitamin C content. The fruit is also known to lower cholesterol and decrease risk of heart disease.

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Well, having shared all that, I must say it's only once a year and so long as we don't go overboard with stuffing our faces with mooncake, it should be fine ... tau sar, ling yun, double yolk ... here I come !!!!

HAPPY MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL !!!

Presidential Election in Singapore

On the heels of the exciting General Election in May, Singapore is now having a Presidential Election.

There are four candidates standing for the post.

From left to right, you can see Dr Tan Cheng Bock (a former MP), Mr Tan Jee Say (an Investment Banker and former senior civil servant), Dr Tony Tan (former Deputy Prime Minister) and Mr Tan Kin Lian (former CEO of NTUC).

Yes, by some strange coincidence, it is a battle of the TANs !

Today is polling day, and the polling stations closed jut a few hours ago.

It will be interesting to see how the results unfold ...


THE RESULT

Singapore's 7th President ...

Musical Interlude: Lex Vandyke

I've recently come across the very soothing latin guitar music of Lex Vandyke. The CD that I bought was called "Latin Sound of Shanghai" and it is a collection of Chinese classic tunes from the Shanghai era. Really beautiful stuff.

I also see this album as a reflection of the globalised world we live in. Here we have a Dutch musician playing Latin guitar and reproducing the classic sounds of Shanghai, China ...East meets West indeed.

Anyway, enough words. Turn up the volume of your PC and enjoy this piece called "Night of Shanghai" ...

Do share your thoughts and impressions.

An Inspiring Commencement Speech from 2006

He is currently facing a tough time in politics, but I believe in this man. I think he is smart, sincere and truly has the country's best interests at heart. I think some Americans do themselves a grave injustice by not working with him.

I enjoyed this commencement address he made at Northwestern University to the graduating class of 2006. He was then still Senator Barack Obama.

Have a good day.

Election Fever in Thailand

This is certainly a year of elections ...  I was in Bangkok for work last week and witnessed political campaigning in full swing on the streets of the capital city. The Thais go to the polls on Sunday 3rd July 2011, and I think it'll be another exciting one to watch. We've all heard about the shenanigans of the red shirts and the yellow shirts, the huge protests in the heart of Bangkok, the forced closures of the Suvarnabhumi International Airport and the tragic crackdown of the protests by the military. One wonders what will happen after the election results are known this time.

The two key parties are the Democratic party, led by Abhisit Vejjajiva, the sitting Prime Minister, who some ladies think is handsome, and the Pheu Thai party, led by Yingluck Shinawatra, sister of ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who some guys think is hot (I'm referring to Yingluck, not Thaksin!)

Anyway, here's a sample of the posters I saw on the streets.

Pheu Thai party's poster with Yingluck Shinawatra on the right

Democratic party, with Abhisit Vejjajiva on the right

 Can't remember the name of this smaller party ... will check later

Sometimes it is quite easy to spot which politician some people don't like ...

Horny politicians take on a different meaning here

Interesting times ...

Asian Milestone in Sports History

June 4th 2011. Roland Garros stadium, France.

More words are not needed ...

Manila - Old and New (Part 1)

I've visited Manila several times over the past six months as part of my work. The country is going through a period of much optimism under the new leadership of the President Benigno "Noy Noy" Aquino III (also called PNoy). PNoy's stated priorities on reducing poverty and fighting corruption have been much welcomed by the people. Admittedly, the process has not been easy or smooth (remember the HK tourist hostage crisis?). However in my dealings with various politicians and senior officials, I've met many smart and committed individuals and I'm hopeful that there will be significant national progress.. Many global companies have also stepped up their exploration of new opportunities arising in the Philippines.

Manila (or more strictly Metro Manila, since it is made up of many different cities, of which Manila is just one) is a culturally rich and vibrant metropolis. There are many interesting places to visit, and also a sharp contrast between different cities.

For today, let me share one place in Metro Manila which is OLD, and another place relatively NEW .

I've been doing some reading up on Philippine history. I believe that a good understanding of what happened on these islands in the past will make my encounters and explorations of various places in and around Metro Manila more meaningful.. Take for instance the walled city called Intramuros ...

Pic 1

Intramuros (which literally means "within the walls") was built by the Spaniards in the 16th century. The Spanish explorer Miguel Lopez de Lagaspi first arrived from Mexico (then under Spain) landing at Cebu in 1564, and at Luzon in 1570. After discovering the rich resources and location of Manila, Legazpi declared the area as the new capital of the Spanish colony in the Philippines in 1571.

One impressive structure in the heart of the Intramuros is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Manila. Originally built in 1591 by the Spaniards, it has undergone destruction by fires, earthquakes and other calamities, but each time it has been rebuilt (see Pic 4).

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Not far away  is the Church of San Agustin. Completed in 1607, this is apparently the oldest church still standing in the Philippines. No other surviving building in the Philippines has been claimed to pre-date St Agustin Church. This building is also designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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At another part of the Intramuros, beside the Pasig River, stands a wall which commemorates the maritime expeditions between Mexico and the Philippines. This place is called Plaza Mexico. This apparently was the actual port of call of the fabled galleons of the past. Indeed the galleon trade which lasted almost three centuries was one of the economic engines driving the Spanish Empire of the day.

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Another notable site within Intramuros is Fort Santiago, a 16th century defence structure which has borne testimony to the valor and bravery of the Filipino through the centuries. Originally, what stood on the site of Fort Santiago was a wooden fort of Raja Sulaiman, a Muslim chieftain of the pre-Hispanic Manila. It was destroyed by conquistadors when they arrived in 1570. The Spaniards rebuilt the fort (as well as the rest of the Intramuros) in 1571. Much of the fort was destroyed during the Spanish-Chinese War (1574-75) and rebuilt again. It became the main fort for the spice trade to America and Europe over the next three centuries.

There are various interesting spots within the fort, but the centrepiece must be the Rizal Shrine, dedicated to the national hero Jose Rizal who was executed by the Spaniards on 30th December 1896. Here one can see some of the books written by Rizal as well as the cell he spent his last nights before he was executed.

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Next let's move to something relatively NEW in Metro Manila.

The SM Mall of Asia is reputedly the 3rd largest mall in Asia and the 4th largest in the world. It was built in 2006 on 19.5 hectares of reclaimed land and has a gross floor area of some 390,000 sq metres.

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Well, that's it for Old and New Manila ... for now anyway. Enjoy and do share any comments.