I can’t remember the last time I felt homesick – and that is really something for someone who’s been living away from home for this many years, especially on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, when the full moon was shining brightly overhead.
I spent the evening at the house of two brothers whom I’ve known since high school. There was no moon cake (mainly due to laziness on my part to go down to China Town and carry back one of those brilliantly wrapped tin boxes); but there was a hotpot, plus heaps of sliced meat, lots of green vegetables, too much mead, and a few really good friends.
The night passed quickly while we ate our way through eight plates of raw stuff boiled in the bubbling hotpot. It was hard not to smile when surrounded by people who know you so well and whose company you truly enjoy.
We concluded the night by gazing into the cloudy sky where the moon was poking its mysterious face at us at irregular intervals. This was my 7th Mid-Autumn Festival away from Beijing – and Adelaide is feeling just like home.