Editor’s Note: In this first-person essay, Karis Chan, Class of 2027, shares a cherished memory about her family’s celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival. This year’s holiday will be celebrated on Oct. 6.

My grandmother’s Hong Kong apartment during the Mid-Autumn Festival was like the kitchen in Ratatouille; controlled chaos inevitably filled the room, for family filled the minuscule flat to the brim, all waiting to devour the extravagant feast — its scent was wafting out from the narrow kitchen door.

My stomach screamed at me, a result from the pleasant aroma that drifted into my nose, urging me to steal a piece of the savory Peking Duck to eat before it was time to dine.

As all were called to the table, my cousins and I ran towards it; we were the first to take our seats. We could barely keep from reaching into the many Chinese dishes prepared by my grandmother, from the tender pork to the stir-fried napa cabbage mixed with thin vermicelli rice noodles. Just as grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents, and cousins found their seats, time seemed to stop as I intently examined each dish, carefully considering which piece had the perfect ratio of ingredients and sauce, as that would be what I chose.

As our whole family enthusiastically said in Cantonese, “Let’s dig in!”, I snapped back into reality and immediately started indulging in the meal I had waited months for.

Throughout dinner, I talked with my cousins about the festivities after eating: the star fruit that was bought for this special occasion, the mooncakes that we never seemed to get enough of, and most importantly, the Chinese lanterns uniquely designed, which emitted a bright shade of red on our faces.

Soon after, my stomach was satisfied, I leaped off my chair alongside my cousins, and we enjoyed the rest of our night with our sizable family.

Looking towards the perfectly round moon that glows a brilliant shade of white, I basked in the glow of family reunion — that is where the truth of the Mid-Autumn festival lies.

Cover image from BBC.com.