Unexpected Food Gifts

**Smithy** · September 26, 2023

1 hour ago, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

Another six pack of Nova Scotia craft brewery product as a thank you for four days of dog sitting.

Some wonderful names there!

liuzhou · September 28, 2023

Tomorrow (29th) is the Mid-Autumn Festival which moves around like Easter does. Sunday, October 1st, is China's National Day (the 74th Anniversary of Mao declaring the People's Republic from the balcony of the Forbidden City in Beijing) and is celebrated with a week long holiday. This year the two abut so are being combined into an 8 day holiday. So everything stops at 6 pm tonight until October 7th.

This afternoon, two people from the local government turned up at my door bearing gifts.

Back left is a box of mooncakes, the traditional gift for Mid-Autumn Festival and front left are a load of assorted nuts. Back right is 5 litres of peanut oil while in front are some small cakes. They also brought ten 100ml cartons of UHT milk and 20 rolls of toilet paper.

Happy Mooncake Day!

Kerry Beal · September 28, 2023

2 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Tomorrow (29th) is the Mid-Autumn Festival which moves around like Easter does. Sunday, October 1st, is China's National Day (the 74th Anniversary of Mao declaring the People's Republic from the balcony of the Forbidden City in Beijing) and is celebrated with a week long holiday. This year the two abut so are being combined into an 8 day holiday. So everything stops at 6 pm tonight until October 7th.

This afternoon, two people from the local government turned up at my door bearing gifts.

Back left is a box of mooncakes, the traditional gift for Mid-Autumn Festival and front left are a load of assorted nuts. Back right is 5 litres of peanut oil while in front are some small cakes. They also brought ten 100ml cartons of UHT milk and 20 rolls of toilet paper.

Happy Mooncake Day!

The toilet paper is a thoughtful touch. You must be itching to get cooking with the peanut oil!

liuzhou · September 28, 2023

11 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

The toilet paper is a thoughtful touch. You must be itching to get cooking with the peanut oil!

I don't mind peanut oil at all in Chinese food, but rice bran oil is my go-to. I'm just glad they didn't choose cØrn oil!

I'm itching to cook in anything except devil oil!

Edited September 28, 2023 by liuzhou (log)

liuzhou · September 28, 2023

On further investigation of the gifts above, I discovered that the contents of the ‘nuts’ box were a couple of cans of nut juice and several packs of nutty things. Almonds from Australia / USA, Cashews from Vietnam, Hazelnuts from Turkey, Walnuts from China, Cranberries from Canada, Blueberries from Chile and Blackcurrants from Uzbekistan!

_20230928210342.jpg.da5dc51f71751c13f4a102db9d8bf2fd.jpg

The cakes were these.

Mooncakes will be investigated tomorrow on Mooncake Day.

KennethT · September 28, 2023

1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

On further investigation of the gifts above, I discovered that the contents of the ‘nuts’ box were a couple of cans of nut juice and several packs of nutty things. Almonds from Australia / USA, Cashews from Vietnam, Hazelnuts from Turkey, Walnuts from China, Cranberries from Canada, Blueberries from Chile and Blackcurrants from Uzbekistan!

The cakes were these.

Mooncakes will be investigated tomorrow on Mooncake Day.

It's the United Nations of Snacks!

chromedome · September 28, 2023

1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

Those look very like what I know as a "Wagon Wheel" here in Canada, though I'm sure there are plenty of international equivalents.

**MaryIsobel** · September 28, 2023

2 hours ago, chromedome said:

Those look very like what I know as a "Wagon Wheel" here in Canada, though I'm sure there are plenty of international equivalents.

Ah - wagon wheels. My grandma used to give us each one to have in the car on the way home from a visit. I'd forgotten about them.

chromedome · September 28, 2023

I bring them home occasionally from Costco for the grandkids (strictly by request, if they don't ask they don't get 'em). Their mom generally tries for slightly healthier snacks like granola bars (just as much sugar, but some good stuff sneaking in there as well).

liuzhou · September 28, 2023

On 9/28/2023 at 10:25 PM, chromedome said:

Those look very like what I know as a "Wagon Wheel" here in Canada

Wagon Wheels were invented in Britain by Burton's Bakery Co. which still makes them. The company started in 1935, although the Burton family had being make biscuits since the mid 1800s. They still sell 125 million Wagon Wheels a year in the UK alone.

In 2013, the company was bought by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, who in turn sold it on in 2021. It is now owned by a Ferraro related company. Still based in Birmingham, England they sell Wagon Wheels in 170 countries around the world.

Those I received are a Chinese clone. and although it's over 60 years since I ate an original one, they appear very similar to what I remember. Not very pleasant. The Chinese name has no relation to Wagon Wheels, though; it translates as 'Daily Garden'. The company, Dali Food Group was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Hui'an, Fujian Province, opposite Taiwan.

It seems they entered China during the British rule of Hong Kong.

https://www.burtonsbiscuits.com

Edited September 30, 2023 by liuzhou (log)

liuzhou · September 29, 2023

This evening, while my friends and neighbours were busy contemplating the moon...

,,, I was lying in bed eating a mooncake from yesterday's gifts (above). These are made in the 5-star hotel, next door to my home and are considered by the locals to be the best. Thankfully, they are the traditional type, with salted egg yolk, representing the moon, and surrounded by sweet bean paste. Not bad, but mooncakes will never be a favourite.

That's the one I ate sitting on the box containing nine more.

Edited September 30, 2023 by liuzhou (log)

Kim Shook · September 29, 2023

Those Wagon Wheel things will be reminding every person from the Southern US of Moon Pies. Which, now that I think of it, is quite appropriate.

My daughter objects heartily to the term "nut juice". LOLOLOLOL

liuzhou · September 30, 2023

57 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

My daughter objects heartily to the term "nut juice". LOLOLOLOL

🤪🤪🤪

Well, I used juice as nuts don't have milk as the vegan mob convince themselves.

Yes, Wagon Wheels are similar to Moon Pies, but I suspect not identical.

Edited September 30, 2023 by liuzhou
typo (log)

Kim Shook · October 4, 2023

Jessica has been doing a long stint of overnight pet sitting and the people told her to please take the ripe peppers from their backyard so they wouldn’t go to waste. This is the second bowlful that she’s brought home:

IMG_4459.JPG.03ded40a1c85bf94124e0e8fca172f7b.JPG

That’s a large bowl – big enough to hold salad for six. Mr. Kim held back a couple to eat fresh and taken the rest to work to share with crazy people 😜.

heidih · October 4, 2023

2 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

Jessica has been doing a long stint of overnight pet sitting and the people told her to please take the ripe peppers from their backyard so they wouldn’t go to waste. This is the second bowlful that she’s brought home:

That’s a large bowl – big enough to hold salad for six. Mr. Kim held back a couple to eat fresh and taken the rest to work to share with crazy people 😜.

I think you are not a heat lover but they are beautiul.

Kim Shook · October 4, 2023

16 minutes ago, heidih said:

I think you are not a heat lover but they are beautiul.

They are gorgeous. I'd love to draw them. But not eat them. I'm not interested in losing any more taste buds. 😁

**MaryIsobel** · October 4, 2023

On 9/29/2023 at 1:02 PM, liuzhou said:

This evening, while my friends and neighbours were busy contemplating the moon...

,,, I was lying in bed eating a mooncake from yesterday's gifts (above). These are made in the 5-star hotel, next door to my home and are considered by the locals to be the best. Thankfully, they are the traditional type, with salted egg yolk, representing the moon, and surrounded by sweet bean paste. Not bad, but mooncakes will never be a favourite.

That's the one I ate sitting on the box containing nine more.

I've never tried one - the description is interesting. Are they eaten as a sweet/dessert or as an appetizer type thing?

liuzhou · October 4, 2023

6 minutes ago, MaryIsobel said:

I've never tried one - the description is interesting. Are they eaten as a sweet/dessert or as an appetizer type thing?

They are not usually eaten as part of a meal; just as a snack sort of thing when the mood strikes. They are usually given as gifts for the Mid-Autumn Festival (usually around September by the western calendar). There are hundreds of different fillings but the ones I was given are the most traditional.

KennethT · October 22, 2023

While looking for something else, I unexpectedly ran into this and got myself a gift....

@liuzhouDo you typically get these dried or fresh? What do you think?

liuzhou · October 22, 2023

7 minutes ago, KennethT said:

While looking for something else, I unexpectedly ran into this and got myself a gift....

@liuzhouDo you typically get these dried or fresh? What do you think?

I've only ever seen them fresh. I agree with their desciption though.

Edited October 22, 2023 by liuzhou (log)

liuzhou · November 6, 2023

To my astonishment, when I was sitting at home minding my own business, at 8pm, two kilos of lemons knocked on my door!

By examining the delivery note attached I knew which city they came from and narrowed the possible senders down to two friends in that city. I called the first, an old and close friend, and bingo!

I thanked her for her generosity and she said she just asked the farm to send them and they cost her nothing.

She is a professor of anthropology in the university in that city and in July, took eight of her students on a field trip to their lemon farm and they said if she ever needed some lemons just to let them know. What lemons have to do with anthropology, I have no idea.

I have no idea what I'm going to do with two kilos of lemons.

2x1 kg boxes of lemons + the toe half of my right foot.

Edited November 6, 2023 by liuzhou (log)

Darienne · November 6, 2023

1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

I have no idea what I'm going to do with two kilos of lemons.

That's simple. Make lemonade.

**Smithy** · November 6, 2023

1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

To my astonishment, when I was sitting at home minding my own business, at 8pm, two kilos of lemons knocked on my door!

By examining the delivery note attached I knew which city they came from and narrowed the possible senders down to two friends in that city. I called the first, an old and close friend, and bingo!

I thanked her for her generosity and she said she just asked the farm to send them and they cost her nothing.

She is a professor of anthropology in the university in that city and in July, took eight of her students on a field trip to their lemon farm and they said if she ever needed some lemons just to let them know. What lemons have to do with anthropology, I have no idea.

I have no idea what I'm going to do with two kilos of lemons.