As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, a delegation comprised of six influencers from Caribbean countries recently visited Huamei Food, a local bakery company in Dongguan that produces cookies, biscuits, waffles and mooncakes.
The delegation had the opportunity to visit the modern food processing smart factory assembly line and the production molds displayed in the mooncake cultural museum.
By making mooncakes in the DIY baking room, they felt the connection between the Mid-Autumn Festival and the mooncakes, which symbolize family reunions.
Six influencers from Caribbean countries learn how to make mooncakes at the DIY baking room at Huamei Food in Dongguan on September 10, 2024. (Photo: GDToday)
After making mooncakes themselves, Joshua Regrello, a national steelpannist from Trinidad and Tobago, admitted that the process was not as easy as it looked. “By this point, I really am a master,” he noted with confidence.
He then showcased his products to the camera, saying, “It feels like a cloud in the sky. I imagine it to be sweeter, but it’s very light. If anybody wants, contact me. These are some of my products, all made by myself from scratch.”
Gail Eijk, a journalist from Suriname who already has a cooking show in her country, noted that she might try mooncakes on her show.
“It’s nice. It is not too sweet. I like the texture,” she added.
She then emphasized the different cultures brought by immigrants in her country and listed their typical foods, which serve as a tie between community identity and fusion in Suriname.
“We have the Chinese. We have the people from India. We have the people from Indonesia. We have the Creoles. Everyone has their own cultures. All of them have festivals like the Moon Festival, where they bring the families together. The beautiful thing is that we all celebrate all these days together,” she pointed out.As for their representative food, Miss Eijk told GDToday that people from India eat Roti, a type of pancake with curry chicken, peas, and other ingredients. Moksi-alesi is a Creole dish that is very popular in Suriname. Bami is an Indonesian type of noodles.
“Everybody has their own food, but we all enjoy it together,” she added.
Facing the camera, Omari Peters, a comedy blogger from Grenada, even became the ambassador of mooncakes and the Mid-Autumn Festival, delivering his wildly enthusiastic endorsement to the audience.
“To the Caribbean, to the world. This is a traditional mooncake from China. I wish all of us could experience and taste this because it’s very good. I wish that I could be at the Mooncake Festival one day.”
Reporter: Clonde Zhang
Video: Pan Jiajun
Script: Clonde Zhang
Editor: Steven Yuen, Will, James