Picture of the Day: Longevity Buns

Giant longevity peach buns from Kai Wai Dim Sum

The other day we were invited to visit the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden in Vancouver's Chinatown, in a run-up to the garden's 40th anniversary next year. 

After we toured the garden -- which still looks fantastic and well kept after all this time -- we were given a snack -- longevity buns called sau bao, or 寿桃.

They are peach-shaped buns that are steamed and pillowy soft. Inside the filling is usually lotus seed, but in this case ours was red bean. But what was impressive was the size -- as big as the palm of my hand, and they were artfully decorated with leaves!

The story behind these buns is that they look like the longevity peach. In Chinese mythology, those who ate this fruit would have immortality.

Peaches symbolise long life in Chinese art, along with the deer and heron.

The longevity peach is also in the Journey to the West novel, where Sun Wukong or Monkey King consumes a lot of this sweet, juicy fruit!

So while it wasn't anyone's birthday that day, the garden staff wished us long life with these giant buns!