Here is a story related to moon cakes I want to share with you. The story introduces you to the origin of a popular activity at the Moon Festival: moon gazing.

      In the Tang Dynasty, the earth once had 10 suns circling it. One day all 10 suns appeared at once, scorching the planet with their heat. A skillful archer named Hou Yi saved the earth by shooting down the extra nine suns. As his reward, the Goddess of the Western Heaven gave Hou Yi the pill of immortality, but she warned him that he must use it wisely. Hou Yi ignored her advice and, controlled by fame and fortune, became a dictatorial leader. Chang-Er, his beautiful wife, could no longer endure his abuse of power so she stole his pill and swallowed it. At this moment, Chang-Er started to fly; the pill was magical. Hou Yi was very angry and tried to kill her but he could not catch her. He watched her fly toward the moon and disappeared. And thus began the legend of the beautiful woman in the moon, the Moon Fairy.

      People continue to believe that there is a beautiful woman who stays in the moon with a little old man and a bunny. The old man is believed to be the god inside the moon and the bunny is his pet. Chinese people worship Chang-Er to glorify her chastity by gazing at the moon. So, every year on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, when the moon is at its maximum brightness for the entire year, the Chinese celebrate "zhong qiu jie" in order to memorize Chang-Er.

      The Chinese custom of eating moon cake was first recorded in the reign of the emperor Hsi Tzung (A.D. 874-889) of the Tang Dynasty and became popular in the Sung Dynasty (A.D. 960-1279). The crafty Chu Yuan-chang, founder of the Ming Dynasty, instigated a rebellion against the Mongol rulers by concealing a call to revolt in moon cakes, leading to the downfall of the Yuan Dynasty.

      The moon cake is traditionally made in the shape of a full moon, symbolizing union and perfection, and is usually about the size of a doughnut. Moon cake is stuffed with a variety of fillings such as bean paste, egg yolk, lotus seeds, dates, pineapple, walnuts, almonds and or sesame, depending on the region.

      In the last couple of years a new breed of refrigerated, unbaked moon cake has been gaining popularity, especially among youngsters. Durian, coconut meat, vanilla, tea, and coffer have been added as ingredients.

      The fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar is celebrated as the Mid-Autumn Festival, which has been designed a public holiday by the government of Republic of China (Taiwan). Moon gazing, drinking oolong or jasmine tea and having a barbeque are the main activities during Mid-Autumn Festival.

      The next article will introduce a Chinese moon legend and explain why moon gazing is a traditional activity during Mid-Autumn Festival.

      Zongzi is the main food at the Dragon Boat Festival in China, made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings. In general, the fillings used for zongzi are Chinese black mushrooms, salted duck eggs, scallops and pork. They are wrapped in bamboo leaves and cooked by steaming or boiling.

      Dragon boat festival is a traditional festival in China. This festival began during the Warring States period.

      Quyuan, a minister of Chu Kingdom, tried to align his kingdom with Qi; he hoped that together Chu and Qi could fight against Qin.  Other ministers opposed Quyuan's position, so he was banished to the border of Chu. In the year 278 B.C., the Qin army breached the border of Chu capital; Quyuan was so sad to see the devastation of his nation that on the 5^th of May, he

held a big stone and sank himself into Miluo river.

      After his death, people of Chu went to the river to grieve over him. The fishermen rowed boats to search his body. In order not to let Quyuan's body be eaten by fishes or crabs, a fisherman threw prepared rice balls and eggs into the river. Many people followed his behavior. Some threw Xionghuang wine into the water to giddy snakes.  Some wrapped rice balls with leaves and used colorful ropes to tie them; this food was given to a dragon that was believed to live in the river.  These rice balls in leaves developed into the Zongzi that we eat nowadays. Since then, in memory of Quyuan, there ha been a custom of Dragon boat competitions, eating Zongzi and drinking Xionghuang wine on the 5^th of May.

      Fortune cookies are curved butter-vanilla flavored wafers with a slip of paper tucked inside. On this paper is a series of lucky numbers and a wisdom prophecy. They are usually served in Chinese restaurants as a dessert.  

      Most Americans assume fortune cookies are from China because they get them from Chinese restaurants. However, as a Chinese, I had not heard about fortune cookies before arriving in the U.S., and the other international students I know who are from China or Taiwan didn't know what fortune cookies were as well. During my first time at a Chinese restaurant in Boston's Chinatown, I was wondering what the cookie was. And I asked myself, "Am I a Chinese? Why don't I know fortune cookies? If it is from the USA, why do Americans put pieces of paper inside their cookies?"

      It is believed that fortune cookies were introduced to the United States by the Japanese around 1890, but there is a well-known ancient Chinese fable from as early as the Ming Dynasty(640 years ago) that said Chinese soldiers communicated with each other by hiding a piece of paper in a moon cake. So, some people claim that the fortune cookie is a modern Chinese American interpretation of the moon cake.

      No matter where fortune cookies are from, this interesting dessert has become a special eating custom in Chinese restaurants, and people have developed a game to go along with the "wisdom" messages inside fortune cookies. People add "between the sheets" or "in bed" to the end of the fortune. It always creates a sexual meaning or funny message, such as "You need to maximize yourself [in bed]"or "You will be rich [in bed]."

      There are tons of websites or blogs with information about how to use the chopsticks; however, I think they make the readers more confused about how to use them. Here are 3 steps to teach you how to use chopsticks easily:

       Step1: Hold the first (lower) chopstick between your thumb and middle finger. Position the chopstick so that it lies at the area between your thumb and forefinger so it extends along your middle finger and rests on the last joint.

      Step2: Hold the other (upper) chopstick between the tips of thumb and forefinger as you hold a pen.

      Step3: Move chopsticks with middle finger and forefinger to pick up food. But do not make chopsticks an "X" as this will make it difficult to pick up food.

      Even though these are very useful steps, if you find a more comfortable way for you to use chopsticks, you definitely should stick to it. Don't worry about the rules or custom. If you get the food from the bowl to your mouth, you are using them correctly!

Chopsticks Tip: The shorter, the easier. If you are a beginner of using chopsticks, when selecting a pair of chopsticks, you should choose he shorter one. It is much easier to use. After getting used to this Chinese eating utensil, you could try the longer one. Also, chopsticks made from bamboo are the easiest one to use. The plastic, ceramic or metal ones are harder to use because there are too smooth to pick up food.

     Practice makes perfect. I hope you will enjoy using chopsticks!

      It is believed that the Chinese have used chopsticks since 3,000 years ago. Archaeologists found evidence that chopsticks originated in ancient China as early as the Shang Dynasty. Now, chopsticks are widely used as the main eating utensils throughout East Asia, including Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Vietnam.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

     Chopsticks may be made of a range of materials, such as plastic or bamboo. They may also differ in shape and length, coming to a point or a blunt tip, and ranging from 80 centimeters to 20 centimeters. No matter what chopsticks are made like, they can be used in the same way, picking up mouth-sized morsels and sweeping rice into the mouth directly from the bowl.

      Before using chopsticks, you should know major chopsticks etiquette first:

1.      Don't stick chopsticks vertically into food, especially into a bowl of rice because it resembles ancestral offerings and it implies an untimely death.

2.      Never wave the chopsticks over food and don't pass food with your chopsticks to other people, because it is considered poor manners and not hygienic.

3.      Do not suck on the tip of the chopsticks because it is considered rude.

      I wanted to share an inspired Chinese story which is related to chopsticks. I heard that when I was an elementary student, but it was very impressive so I haven't forgotten it. Here is the story:                                                                      

      A wise old man has 5 sons. His sons always fought with each other. One day, their father gathered all of his sons and gave each one a pair of chopsticks. The old man asked his sons, "Can you break the chopsticks that you have?" His sons said, "Of course, they can be broken easily." Then, their father asked them to put the five pairs of chopsticks together and let each of his son try to break it, however none could do it. The moral of the folktale is "In Unity there is Strength" and it is taught to most Chinese schoolchildren.  

      Please check the next article if you are interested in learning how to use chopsticks.

You've probably heard the phrase "dim sum." But, you probably have no idea how to order from the menu.

My friend, Ryan, has tried dim sum three times, but he has decided not to go there anymore, because he has had nightmares about dim sum restaurants! He couldn't understand the menu completely, so he just ordered something by instinct. When the dishes had been put on his table, he suddenly understood he had made wrong choices... because the food he ordered looked and tasted gross. Based on my friend's awful experiences, I decided to introduce some classic dim sum assortments from a view of a Chinese. After reading this article, please go to a dim sum restaurant again. Believe me, you will love it.

Dim sum consists of a wide variety of dishes, from sweet to savory. It has combinations of meat, vegetables, seafood, and fruit. It is usually served in a small bamboo basket (for steamed dim sum) or on a small dish. After the main meal, you have many choices of dessert, from tofu to pudding.

Some dim sum restaurants have over 50 items. As a Chinese, I chose the Top 10 most famous and popular dishes to share with you.

Sesame Seed Balls (Jin Dui):
Balls are rolled in sesame, filled with sweet red bean paste and deep-fried. Sesame seed balls are crispy and chewy. This is my favorite dim sum dessert.

Spring Rolls (Chun Juan):
Spring rolls consist of a crispy flour shell which contain juicy vegetables and meat inside.

Egg Custard Tart (Dan Ta):
Baked tart filled with egg custard. It can melt immediately when in your mouth.

Turnip cake (Law Bok Gow):
Turnip cake is a fried cake made with daikon which is a Chinese turnip.

Beef Balls (niu wan):
The ball is made of beef that has been finely pulverized and steamed.

Char Siu Bao:
These are steamed buns stuffed with barbecued pork.

Fung Jeow:
Chicken feet marinated in a special spicy sauce.

Har Gau:
Shrimp dumplings made with a translucent rice flour wrap.

Shaomai:
There are many kinds. Traditionally, shaomai is filled with pork, shrimp, sometimes with vegetables. It is best dipped in soy sauce.

Water Chestnut Cake:

A cake made of water chestnut that is pan-fried. So the outside is crispy while the inside remains soft.

Even though you may have had bad experiences ordering dim sum in a restaurant, you should give it a try again. Especially, now that you have read this food guide.  If you are interested in dim sum, please leave me a comment, maybe I can be a guide and hold a "dim sum group" to explore the dim sum culture and find the best dim sum together in Boston.

        Choosing a good dim sum restaurant to eat at is the first right step to have an awesome dim sum experience. But there are a plenty of dim sum restaurants in Boston's Chinatown, and knowing which is the best one is the biggest problem. I have some Dim Sum Steps to share with you. I hope each of you can have a great experience of having meals in dim sum restaurants.

Step 1: The more staff, the better

        Making dim sum is a time-consuming and labor intensive work. It needs many sophisticated masters to steam, fry or bake a lot of dishes. In addition, there should also be several servers with carts roaming about. It is a good sign that the food in the restaurant is hand-made and fresh.

  Step 2: The more native costumers, the better

        Dim sum originates from China and it is a traditional food for Chinese. Most Chinese can tell what good dim sum is. Besides, when having meals in a dim sum restaurant, you cannot only enjoy the delicious dishes but also the exotic atmosphere. If you are in the dim sum restaurant which is crowded with Chinese, you may think you are in China and the food will be more exotic for you.

Step 3: Pay attention to the building

        In my experience, the more Chinese characters or symbols, the better. It means this restaurant targets the Chinese population. However, don't choose dim sum restaurants with cheesy names or ones that have over-exaggerated structures. These sort of restaurants target the tourists or people who have no idea about dim sum.

Step 4: Don't believe the food reviews from the Internet

        Sometimes the staff of the restaurant pretends to be the customer and praises their restaurant for its good dim sum and criticizes the other restaurants. In other words, they make up the food review and try to create a good reputation for their restaurant. But the true situation is completely different from the Internet.

        Still wondering how to choose a good dim sum restaurant? Please follow Steps 1, 2, 3 & 4. I'm sure you will find a good one. Here, I strongly recommend an awesome dim sum restaurant in Boston's Chinatown.

Here is the information: 

Hei la Moon

88 Beach Street, Boston, MA 02111
(617) 338-8813

As a Chinese, I am often asked, "What is dim sum?"

In Chinese, dim means "point at" and sum means "the heart."This describes what you do when you eat in a dim sum restaurant; you point to what you want, and enjoy the dim sum from your heart.

Dim sum is originated from Guangdong province in China. It has been described as the Chinese version of tapas, or small delicacies, in the Western world. These Chinese dishes are usually steamed, baked or fried. In general, these small dishes are displayed on a bamboo basket or put atop a steamer. The serving size is usually quite small and normally served as three or four pieces on one dish.

Chinese tea is served with dim sum. Dim Sum Tip: It is polite to pour tea for others before filling your own cup. If someone pours tea for you, it is tradition to curve your index and middle fingers and tap them on the table. This shows your respect to that person who is pouring tea because the shape of your fingers looks like a "bow".