The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

When we woke up this morning our clothing smelled like charcoal briquettes. Little surprise, for the past four days have been Taiwanese revelry at it's best - the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.

Americans have Thanksgiving Day, Germans have Oktoberfest, and the Chinese have the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. It is a celebration of the successful autumn harvest dating to 10th century BC. The moon symbolizes completeness, and people travel far and wide to join their extended families on the full moon of the eight lunar month. The nation goes mad for moon cakes, small, dense pastries filled with nuts, sweet pastes, and egg yolks. To this day, the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is one of the two most important holidays in the Chinese calendar, along with Chinese New Year.

It is also the prime occasion for what seems to be the most cherished of all Taiwanese customs - the barbecue. Every third door stoop in the nation has a group of people gathered about tiny hibachi grills cooking skewered chicken, pork, sausages, hot dogs, fish balls, corn-on-the-cob, shrimp, and whatever else fits on a 8-inch long toothpick. That's why our clothes, and everything else in this nation, smells like charcoal.

There is no way to overstate the Taiwanese love of barbecueing. My informal poll today found that 24 out of of 25 of my students had barbecued within the past 72 hours. Self-appointed culture critics complain that barbecues threaten to over-shadow Moon Festival traditions. Government officials request restraint for environmental reasons - last year carbon monoxide levels in Northern Taiwan spiked by 45% on the evening of the Moon Festival.

Needless to say, it is impossible to cook food on an open fire without consuming beer. During the holiday, Devin and I were repeated greeted by large groups of middle-aged men who huddled around a 12-inch by 18-inch grill while throwing back Taiwan Beer (probably the foulest brew in creation). They called out a few words in English, laughed at each other for speaking English, gestured for us to join them. The universe of strange encounters reached its highpoint at 1 pm on the Moon Festival, when a guy in his 20s leapt off his scooter as we exited a 7-11.

Crazy Man: Hello! Are you Americans? My English name is Anthony Chang! What are your names?

Adam: My name is Adam.

Devin: I'm Dev...

Anthony Chang: [pointing frantically at Devin] Is your girlfriend? Very beautiful!

Adam: Yes I kn...

Anthony Chang: Do you support Taiwan?

Adam: You mean for the United Nations? Yes, I...

Anthony Chang: China not bad! Taiwan very good!

Adam: China not bad?

Anthony Chang: China not bad! Taiwan very good! Goodbye! Anthony Chang! Support Taiwan!

And then he was gone. And now the Moon Festival is gone, too. My advice to anyone who wants a whole new kind of party: come to Taiwan during the Mid-Autumn Mood Festival. Bring something for the barbecue.