Did you know that Chinese New Year is celebrated for 15 days? The last day, March 4, 2007, is the Lantern Festival. So, we're not too late in getting this crucial holiday food news to you: Your celebratory moon cakes could be a danger to your health.

Actually, that's not our opinion, but it is the opinion of California Department of Health officials who have been citing some vendors for not refrigerating these traditional Chinese and Vietnamese bean, seed, nut, and egg-yolk filled pastries.

Refrigerate? Pastries? Seriously? Why not just skip the formalities make them out of cement?

Here's the rub: According to the California Poison Control System website, food left out on a counter for two hours or longer can become a Petrie environment for rapid bacterial growth. Current laws prohibit sales of moon cakes and other like items that sit at room temperature for more than four hours.

While not containing eggs, the traditional nian gao cakes, made of glutinous rice with optional bean paste or similar fillings, are also under scrutiny.

This NPR story features Bay Area locals expressing justified indignance: Moon Cakes Prompt American Culture Clash.

Assemblyman Vin Tran (R-Orange County) introduced a bill last fall, forcing health officials to study the issue a little more closely before applying the current four-hour rule so willy-nilly.

Results of the research will be released in January 2008, just in time for the next New Year's celebrations.

Is this caution or cultural misunderstanding? We look forward to hearing the CDH's conclusions. Because, after all, people have been eating "room temperature" moon cakes for centuries.

By Julie, contributing

Photo by meckleychina found via the Shanghaiist Contribute page.