On most days, the elders practice tai chi and chair yoga here. They play bingo and hear speakers in their native languages on topics such as elder law and prostate cancer. English classes are a fixture in the center's class schedule. And every brochure, flier, and announcement is in Mandarin Chinese, Cambodian, and English.
The seniors themselves planned this special Moon Festival, said Tara Swartzendruber Landis, the center director. It is a holiday traditionally celebrated with songs, dance, and a store-bought sweet called mooncake.
Compared to other Asian treats, mooncake is not particularly easy to make. It is an acquired taste, and the cakes are relatively expensive ($4 or more per piece).
It's been compared in popularity and flavor to Christmas fruitcake. But eating mooncake at this time of year is a tradition, and few ethnic groups are known to break easily with tradition.
So, the senior center's event featured singing to tunes from a seven-language karaoke machine, playing games of Chinese chess and dominoes, dancing to the electric slide and the chicken dance, and eating lots and lots of good food.
"When we have an event like this, people will cook for days, and whole families get involved," said Landis.
Shang Huiyan, who is in her mid-80s and grew up in China, served pots of green tea while the elders nibbled on fried dumplings, crispy beans, preserved watermelon seeds, and candied cashews (see recipe).
Bong's bun sau (see recipe), calls for dried lotus, the root of the water-lily plant. Many U.S.-born cooks may not have experience with it, but it's worth learning about as a cooking ingredient. (See accompanying story.)
