Day 353

"Wife Cake": I don't usually do much personal commentary on this blog, but I have to say that it feels a bit strange that this whole thing is almost over. It's been such a big part of my life for the past almost-year, and despite the frequent frustration of having to do so much shopping/eating/posting, it's been a great experience that's allowed me to achieve much more than I expected. And for all those that have followed along, I have to say thanks. If no one had paid attention, I'm not so sure I would have stuck with it.

Anyway, on to the food. Today's selection is another from the Master Bakery on Buford Highway, and after the awesomeness of yesterday's "pork pastry," I was curious to find out if this one was just as good. It's name was "wife cake," and due to the language barrier I mentioned yesterday, I wasn't able to discern what it was made of. However, it looked good, so I wasn't about to let a lack of information stop me.

I tend to eat pastries pretty soon after I buy them, so I went ahead and knocked this one out out this afternoon. It seemed to be made from rice flour (like many other Asian pastries), and it was filled with something I couldn't identify based on appearance alone. I assumed it was some sort of fruit filling, so I eagerly took a bite to find out.

Not too much new to report with this one. The flaky, slightly moist pastry was much like many other Asian pastries I've tried, and the filling was a mildly sweet, fruity paste that had a faint melon flavor. Tasty, but it didn't offer any new flavors for me.

So what's the story behind the "wife cake" name? According to Wikipedia, it's a traditional Chinese pastry that's also frequently called a "sweetheart cake." The name comes from a Chinese fable about a man whose wife sold herself into slavery to pay for his sick father's medicine, and he made her this cake to reward her good deed. Not very uplifting, but interesting. Oh, and the cake contained sweetened winter melon. I'm getting good at identifying strange flavors, for sure.