This year, it will be especially marveled at by a girl who’s recently learned to love herself a little more. Wherever you are, I hope you take some time to look at the bright, round moon, even if just for a moment. You’ll catch me wheeling out our grill, gathering with friends to celebrate, and eating good food under the moonlight. This year’s Mid-Autumn Festival falls on September 19-21, and I plan on celebrating for the first time in years. But what heals me is learning about my roots and introducing cultural touchpoints to my white husband and my friends. I still hold onto so much grief for the pain my split identity caused growing up. A young girl, Fei Fei, builds a rocket to travel to the moon to meet the goddess. The Netflix movie, Over the Moon, is based on the Mid-Autumn Festival story. I threw a Lunar New Year party and hand-pleated 100 dumplings. At Imperfect, I push to focus less on Euro-centric recipes and feature more diverse dishes and delicious Asian recipes. Mid-Autumn Festival Moon Phases During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the moon is at its fullest and is said to be at its brightest and roundest which is represented with family gatherings. I began incorporating Asian recipes in our dinner rotations at home. Call it maturity or give credit to therapy or the more diverse representation in pop culture (see Crazy Rich Asians), but by the grace of God, a few years ago, I started to love my Asian-ness. So I refused to speak Mandarin, I proudly declared that “I wasn’t that Asian,” and I made racist Asian jokes to distinguish me from the “rest of them.” No one else could make the jokes if I said them first.īut like the moon, people go through many phases. So I decided the best way would be to make myself as “white” as possible. More than once, someone tugged their eyelids into slits and chanted, “ching chang chong!” to my face.Īll I wanted was to fit in and feel accepted for who I was. At school, classmates gagged at my noodle and rice-based lunches. I grew up in the California Bay Area in a mostly white neighborhood. But until recently, I would have preferred to be just American. So much so that many of my coworkers consider it one of my personality traits. But for most of my life, I’ve associated it with “pumpkin spice season” rather than the Mid-Autumn Festival.īeing the child of two Taiwanese immigrants technically makes me Taiwanese American. I’ve never actually celebrated the holiday in Taiwan.īut what I do know is that I LOVE autumn. Delicious mooncakes and pomelos are enjoyed for dessert as the fall air breezes by. You hang out with your favorite people while eating and grilling. In Taiwan, where my parents are from, you set out chairs, eat barbecue, and feast outside right on the street. The roots of the holiday originate from a time when farmers would celebrate the season’s bountiful harvest and hard work on the day the moon was thought to be at its fullest and brightest.īut these days, it’s a time to appreciate the moon and celebrate with loved ones over a feast. But I know it best as the Mid-Autumn Festival. Harvest Moon Festival, Moon Festival, or Chuseok, to name a few. Illustration by Irene Lee.Įvery year around September and October, when the moon is looking incredibly full and bright, many East Asian cultures celebrate a multi-day holiday known by many names. This story is part of the Elbows on the Table Essay Series and featured in our Imperfect Almanac.
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