As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, how do immigrants from Hong Kong celebrate this traditional Chinese festival abroad? Andy, who immigrated to Reading, UK, along with his friends, established the brand “Uncle E’s Delights,” bringing their homemade pineapple cakes and wife cakes to various Hong Kong markets in the UK. This year, for the first time during Mid-Autumn Festival, they introduced “Uncle E’s Mooncakes” to bless those around them. Andy, who used to work in the IT industry in Hong Kong and was also a private chef, decided to start anew in the UK, rebranding as “Uncle E” to interact with customers.
When Hong Kong people hear the term “Uncle E’s Delights,” they often chuckle, using the phrase “mai go yung mai go” to describe doing unnecessary things. According to Andy, the inspiration behind “Uncle E” actually came from a hardworking pastry chef in Hong Kong, known for constantly innovating to meet market demands. Andy said, “Uncle E’s spirit embodies hard work, continuous innovation, catering to market needs, seeing what’s lacking in the market and providing it. We’ve taken this spirit to represent not only Uncle E but also the spirit of Hong Kong people.”
Talking about the inception of “Uncle E’s Mooncakes,” Andy shared, “We mainly made wife cakes and pineapple cakes before, and many friends praised them. Last year, they asked if we could also try making mooncakes. Aside from wife cakes representing Hong Kong well, mooncakes also symbolize Hong Kong’s festive culture. We prepared for this for a year and finally launched handmade mooncakes this year.”
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a significant holiday for the Chinese community, where people exchange gifts with family and friends. In the 1960s and 1970s in Hong Kong, when people’s lives were not as prosperous, purchasing mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn period was a considerable expense for most due to limited income. Mooncakes were in high demand during Mid-Autumn, leading to the emergence of “mooncake clubs” where members could order mooncakes in installments due to their high cost, making them luxurious gifts.
Andy believes that since mooncakes are heartfelt gifts, he strives to make them unique, focusing on both taste and presentation. He mentioned, “There are various types of mooncakes in the market, and our customers are not just Hong Kong people. We also aim to promote Hong Kong’s culinary culture to local friends. So when making food, we try to incorporate some spices to create products that suit local tastes.”
Observing that the British enjoy cinnamon and figs, Andy specifically included these ingredients in his mooncakes. This led to the creation of fig and yuzu wife cakes and longan pineapple cakes, fashioned in the shape of jade rabbits, mirroring one of the symbols of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Mooncake flavors include tangerine peel red bean yolk and pistachio nut mix. Andy explained, “Tangerine peel is a distinctive ingredient in Hong Kong, offering a sense of nostalgia. Many young people are not fond of the traditional nut mix as it can be hard and sticky, so we made a version with pistachios, as Westerners enjoy nuts. By combining this with sugar winter melon, it offers a unique texture.”
Reflecting on the festival in the UK, Andy mentioned, “It’s not primarily a Hong Kong-centric place, so the Mid-Autumn atmosphere isn’t as strong. Mainly, a group of Hong Kong friends knows it’s the Mid-Autumn period, providing an opportunity for gatherings.” He believes that the Mid-Autumn Festival is a chance to connect with loved ones and friends, allowing people who haven’t met in a while to exchange gifts and greetings.
In the past, sending letters by carrier pigeons involved a long wait to receive a heartfelt message, but in the digital age, sending a quick greeting takes merely a second. Despite the prevalence of text messaging, Andy, who comes from an IT background, still cherishes the era of handwritten greetings. Since last year, he specially designed heartfelt cards for Mid-Autumn gift boxes, conveying blessings in a handwritten greeting card style. Andy said, “Our goal is not just about making cakes; we also aim to transmit emotions to everyone. It’s a special feeling. Though the sender didn’t personally write them, it still evokes the emotion of writing a letter.”
Recalling a previous incident, Andy shared about a Canadian customer who ordered gift boxes online for their friends in the UK. Later, at a market in the UK, a lady visited his booth to express gratitude after receiving the gift box. The lady turned out to be a friend of the Canadian customer who had lost touch but reconnected through the gift box, bringing back their past friendship, leaving her delighted.
This encounter touched Andy, who expressed, “This is the initial intention behind our mooncake production. We don’t aim to solely do business. Through our business, a cake, a simple snack, we intend to convey familiar feelings, especially the love within families and the sharing between friends, through food.”
Eating familiar mooncakes in a foreign land subconsciously evokes memories of life in Hong Kong. Andy, slightly emotional, expressed how this year marks their third Mid-Autumn celebration abroad and how he deeply misses his days in Hong Kong:
“In Hong Kong, celebrating festivals, especially the Mid-Autumn Festival, was always a joyous occasion. Looking back, it fills me with happiness thinking about playing with lanterns and making candles during childhood. It was a sense of reunion, especially with family. Occasionally, we would have water caltrop, and I particularly remember eating Shatin pomelo, along with mooncakes. It was a warm and cozy time. After family dinners, kids would go out to play with lanterns, while adults sat in pavilions or on the streets chatting together, creating a heartwarming atmosphere. However, with various changes, many friends have left their hometowns, inevitably leading to feelings of homesickness and longing for family.”
In the UK, the Mid-Autumn markets have become a gathering point for Hong Kong immigrants: “Apart from the market stalls, some places host mooncake-making workshops, riddle guessing games, and lantern-making activities with children, all themed to educate the next generation about the Mid-Autumn Festival.”
While missing out on the large family gatherings from Hong Kong, Andy has experienced a different sense of community in the UK. He observed, “In Hong Kong, it’s rare to know your next-door neighbor, and even more challenging to know the one next to them. In Hong Kong, interacting with others is taken for granted since everyone is a fellow local. However, the Hong Kong community in the UK is more interconnected. Perhaps while walking down the street, you may meet someone resonating with your background, sparking surprise and warmth, eventually leading to a smile, a nod, and a conversation, turning strangers into friends.”
Andy noted that many Hong Kong immigrants have settled in the UK, transforming some British neighborhoods into “Hong Kong villages,” where most households comprise Hong Kong residents. He shared stories he heard from customers, saying, “When someone cooks, the delicious aroma spreads, prompting everyone to share, chat, drink, and enjoy food together, creating a joyful atmosphere.”
Describing the relationships among neighbors akin to the concept of the “72 Tenants of Prosperity,” Andy explained, “Leaving Hong Kong doesn’t necessarily mean feeling lonely. On the contrary, the distance between Hong Kong people seems to be closing. In a foreign environment, many people seek a space for mutual assistance and comfort. Since everyone shares the same background and confronts similar challenges, transitioning to a new place of living, there’s a stronger sense of camaraderie, akin to the 72 tenants sharing common living conditions, using shared restrooms. Poor restroom maintenance could lead to troubles, hence fostering more communication, keeping the environment and everyone’s hearts connected, a sentiment present from ancient times to today.”
Although celebrating Mid-Autumn in a foreign land differs from their past experiences in Hong Kong, Andy’s family continues to adapt to the new environment, making new friends, believing in the saying, “where the heart is at peace is where home is.” They express their emotions under the moon’s glow, using “Uncle E’s Mooncakes” to connect people and convey heartfelt wishes.