Why We Eat Mooncakes
A Chinese Romance + book perks!!
A Moonlit Romance
At the beginning of time, the Goddess of the Sun had ten sons —the ten burning suns in the sky. As a result, the Earth suffered from extreme heat and the farmlands were barren. People endured droughts and famines.
Hou Yi 后羿, a skilled archer, shot down nine of the ten suns, leaving just one to provide warmth and light for the world. The torture was finally over.
As a reward for his heroic deed, Yi was gifted the medicine of immortality. But he didn’t want to leave Chang'e 嫦娥, his wife, behind. So he didn’t take it.
Yi’s legend traveled afar. Many young men from all around the world sought his mentorship for archery. One of these young men was a greedy and treacherous man named Peng Meng.
One mid-autumn night with a full moon, Meng pretended to be sick and did not attend training. Then he broke into his mentor’s home to steal the medicine of immortality. Just before he reached the box where the medicine was hidden, to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands, Chang'e grabbed and swallowed the medicine.
To her surprise, Chang'e’s body became lighter and lighter after taking the medicine of immortality, until finally, she floated into the air toward the moon.
When Yi came home to find his wife gone, he was heartbroken. He gazed up at the moon and saw Chang'e standing on the cold moon gazing back at him. Yi ran like a madman toward the moon. But the more he ran toward the moon, the further away the moon appeared to be.
Legend has it that Chang'e has lived by herself in the Palace of the Moon ever since. Well, not completely by herself: apparently, there are super cute bunnies on the moon! (That’s a whole different story for another time. 😁)
Chang'e was as beautiful as she was kind-hearted. She often helped those in need in her neighborhood. In honor of Chang'e and Yi’s love for her, people made mooncakes and served them on an altar for Chang'e each year.
This is the story behind the Mid-Autumn Festival, otherwise known as The Mooncake Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. Families get together to appreciate the beautiful full moon, honor the moonlit legend of Hou Yi and Chang'e, and more importantly, cherish the things the ill-fated couple longed to have — unity and completeness.
Mooncake Festival Gifts!!
This year, Mid-Autumn falls on September 17, 2024 — in just two weeks! It’s also the first time my parents and I get to celebrate it together as a family in 16 years. We are determined to make this year a year of celebration, traditions, and unity.
As many of you know, my children’s book Why We Eat Fried Peanuts: A Celebration of Family and Lunar New Year Traditions is coming out in January 2025!
To be honest, I never set out to be a children’s book writer. 😅 Mostly, I write about medical misogyny and medical racism.
At the same time, I am passionate about storytelling. Why We Eat Fried Peanuts is a “surprise” project based on the “viral” tweet and the true story of my great-grandmother. And it’s been just a blast to work on!
Join Mèng (that’s me!!), a Chinese American girl, and her dad at their Chinese New Year dinner preparation. While enjoying yummy snacks, you can discover Zed’s family legend — the most important ancestor without a name — and the legacy of kindness she left behind. By remembering the great-grandmother’s act of courage, where she sacrificed her dignity to save a life, and enjoying the snack she loved so much, we honor our ancestors and celebrate our traditions.
Special Discount!
If you are a Barnes and Noble member, today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow (September 4 through 6), you can pre-order Why We Eat Fried Peanuts for 25% off with the code PREORDER25 at check-out!
You can click the above link or this logo here to pre-order:
🎊Want a Signed Copy??🎊
If you’d like a signed copy of this adorable non-fiction children’s book, I am giving them out for free to anyone who upgrades to an annual subscription of Ask The Patient newsletter (yearly or founding member)! And in honor of the moon, now you can get 25% off on Ask The Patient subscriptions through the end of Mooncake Festival (September 17)!
There may, or may not be (wink) other fun perks for those who pre-order and/or subscribe. 😏😏
But don’t worry, you can still read and comment on everything I write even if you are not a paid member. 🥹🥹 I am grateful that you are my reader.
Have a great September! And may your heart be full like the moon.
Thank you, I learned something and the graphics are lovely. Congrats on the book!
I should not be crying over my coffee, but here we are.
What a beautiful story. My parents both had an affinity for the moon (and strangely, so do I). Every full moon since my father passed in 2021, my mom would say, look at your father's moon. She passed just over a month ago and after reading this story, I can't help but think my parents are these two legends. I will Google mooncakes and celebrate mom and dad on the 17th. ❤️