HK couple in Taiwan make Cantonese mooncakes 移居台灣港人增  想吃港式月餅價格昂貴

Home-made Hong Kong style mooncakes help assuage HK immigrants’ homesickness.

Presenter: Many Hong Kong nationals have moved to Taiwan. A retired couple from Hong Kong made lotus seed paste mooncakes and sold hundreds a day before this year's Mid-Autumn Festival.

Raw egg yolks are placed on the baking tray and baked for seven minutes. The yolks are still moist and glossy when they come out. White lotus seed paste is then wrapped around the yolks, and then the whole thing is wrapped in mooncake skin. 

These mooncakes were made by a couple from Hong Kong who moved to New Taipei City's Tamsui District after retiring as teachers. They used mooncake molds brought from Hong Kong to make what can be considered real Cantonese-style mooncakes. 

Ou Chen-tsui, Hong Kong National Residing in Taiwan:”Cantonese-style mooncakes are really expensive in Taiwan, about NT$1,600 per box. Guangdong-style mooncakes are also expensive, and the taste is also a little different than what Hong Kong people are used to. That's why we decided to try making them ourselves. This allows us to kill some time too because we haven't worked since we moved here. We have sold some mooncakes.”

One Cantonese-style mooncake sells for NT$400 to NT$500 in Taiwan. The couple has sold mooncakes to fellow Hong Kongers, as well as locals. They said they foresaw in 2018 that the political situation in Hong Kong would change, so they moved to Taiwan before the 2019-2020 Hong Kong protests erupted.During their first Mid-Autumn Festival in Taiwan, they were astonished to discover the Taiwanese tradition of barbecuing.

Ou Chen-tsui, Hong Kong National Residing in Taiwan:”In Taiwan, people barbecue for the Mid-Autumn Festival, unlike in Hong Kong. (Barbecue?) Yes. When we first saw this, we wondered about this strange tradition. (You all have lanterns, right?) That's right, we love that. (Have you carried lanterns in Taiwan?) No. (Why not?) Because there are none here.”

Hong Kongers celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival by lighting lanterns, viewing the full moon, and eating mooncakes. Family reunions are also a tradition but aren't possible for those Hong Kongers living in Taiwan. Nevertheless, they can still look at the moon and think about their hometown.

生蛋黃放置烤盤上，烘烤7分鐘，蛋黃仍透有一點濕潤光澤、香氣四溢，再將蛋黃包入白蓮蓉餡料，外頭覆蓋餅皮。從香港中學退休、移居台灣的夫妻，中秋節前夕，在新北市淡水的住所，拿出從香港帶來的月餅模具，烘烤出屬於香港人記憶中的港式月餅。

移居台灣香港人 區貞翠：「在台灣買我們香港月餅很貴，一盒差不多1千6左右吧，因為現在在這邊買我們廣東月餅都比較貴一點，還有(口味)跟在香港有點不同，所以我們就想自己來做比較好一點又可以消磨時間，因為我們過來之後沒有工作做就把一些餅賣出去。」

台灣市售的港式月餅，一顆要價4、500元，夫妻倆索性動手做，並且銷售給同鄉或台灣人。他們說，2018年就預見香港政治局勢會改變，因此反送中運動爆發前，就搬來台灣定居了，但當時第一次在台過中秋，很驚訝台灣人熱愛烤肉。

移居台灣香港人 區貞翠：「跟我們香港不一樣，因為你們台灣過中秋就是烤肉。(烤肉)對喔，剛剛來的時候為什麼這麼奇怪(你們會提燈籠)，會很喜歡。(那你來台灣還有提過燈籠嗎)，沒有(為什麼) 因為你們這邊沒有囉。」

香港人過中秋，主要是提燈籠、賞月、吃餅。中秋月圓，移居海外的香港人，再也很難感受團圓滋味，不過，仍等待入夜後，舉頭望向月光，局勢在變，但惦記家鄉的心，到哪裡都不會改變。