Origin of the fortune cookie:

[3bob]

"The Mysterious Origin of the Fortune Cookie

Much to most American’s surprise, the fortune cookie is not a Chinese invention.

Fortune Cookies Originated In CaliorniaFortune Cookies Actually Originated in California!
It is actually an American invention originating in California. There are many theories, and much speculation surrounding the mysterious origin of the fortune cookie. As to in which city the fortune cookie originated and as to who invented it, Chinese-American, Japanese-American or 14th century revolutionists, there has been much debate. In 1983, there was even a mock trial held in San Francisco's pseudo-legal Court of Historical Review to determine the origins of the fortune cookie.

 

Legendary History of the Fortune Cookie #1

The Chinese immigrant, David Jung, founded the Hong Kong Noodle Company while living in Los Angeles, invented the cookie in 1918. Concerned about the poor he saw wandering near his shop, he created the cookie and passed them out free on the streets. Each cookie contained a strip of paper with an inspirational Bible scripture on it, written for Jung by a Presbyterian minister.

 

Legendary History of the Fortune Cookie #2

Some claim a Japanese immigrant, Makoto Hagiwara, invented the fortune cookie in San Francisco. Hagiwara designer of the famous Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park was an avid gardener until an anti-Japanese mayor fired him from his job around the turn of the century. Later a new mayor did reinstate him. In 1914, to show his deep appreciation to friends who had stood by him during his time of hardship, Hagiwara made a cookie and placed a thank you note inside. After passing them out to those who had helped him, he began serving them regularly at the Japanese Tea Garden. In 1915, they were displayed at the Panama-Pacific Exhibition, San Francisco's world fair.

 

Legendary History of the Fortune Cookie #3

The Traditional Fortune CookieThe Original Idea
In the early 1900’s a plan was hatched to transform San Francisco’s Chinatown from a ghetto into a cute tourist attraction. San Francisco’s Chinatown promised tourist a real Oriental experience. The city promoted Chinese decorations, pageantry and architecture. Supposedly, increased tourism led to the invention of the fortune cookie to fill the void of a dessert item. To fill the tourists demands for a dessert, a worker in San Francisco’s Kay Heong Noodle Factory invented a plain flat cookie in the 1930s. This plain flat cookie, while still warm, was folded around a little piece of paper on which a hand-written prediction or piece of Chinese wisdom would be found.

 

Legendary History of the Fortune Cookie #4

During the 13th and 14th centuries, China was occupied by Mongols. The story goes that the Mongols had no taste for Lotus Nut Paste. So, the Chinese people hid sayings inscribed with the date of their revolution inside the Moon Cakes where the yolk would typically reside. Under the disguise of a Taoist priest, patriotic revolutionary Chu Yuan Chang, entered occupied walled cities to hand out Moon Cakes to other revolutionaries. These instructions coordinated the uprising that successfully allowed the Chinese people to form the basis of the Ming Dynasty.

Moon Festival became regularly celebrated. Part of that tradition was the passing out of cakes with sayings inside them.

It is thought that this legend is what inspired the Chinese 49'ers working on the construction of American Railways through the Sierra Nevada to California. When Moon Festival rolled around, they did not have any traditional moon cakes. So out of necessity they improvised with hard biscuits and the Fortune Cookie was born.

 

Today’s Fortune Cookie

Fortune Cookies Make a Tasty TreatFortune Cookies In Fun Colors & Flavors Make a Unique... And Tasty Treat!
Fortune cookies became common in Chinese restaurants after World War II. While not traditionally part of Chinese cuisine, American customers expected desserts. So out of necessity the fortune cookies thus offered Americans something familiar with an exotic flair while still being economical for the Chinese vendors.

Although there have been a few cases reported of individuals actually liking the texture and flavor of fortune cookies, most consider the fortune to be the essence of the cookie. Early fortunes featured Biblical sayings, or aphorisms from Confucius, Aesop, or Ben Franklin. Later, fortunes included recommended lottery numbers, smiley faces, jokes, and sage, if hackneyed, advice. Politicians have used them in campaigns, and fortunes have been customized for weddings and birthday parties.

 

In 1988, Mike Fry invented the concept of fortune cookies in fun flavors and colors and founded Fancy Fortune Cookies®. The first gourmet fortune cookie bakery specializing in custom sayings as well as great tasting fortune cookies! Fancy Fortune Cookies now provides fortune cookies in a variety of flavors, colors, and with many options such as, milk chocolate dipped, dark chocolate dipped, white chocolate dipped, with custom sayings, and full color imprinted fortunes.

Most recently they have become a volatile marketing and direct mail tool used by fortune 500 companies such as, Motorola, FedEx, Apple, Starbucks, MAC, Victoria’s Secret, Johnson & Johnson, Guess, Ashley Furniture, Sony, Honda, Lilly, Pfizer, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Bank of America, GM, AT&T, and many more."

[Marblehead]

I have a large collection of Fortune Cookies.

 

A number of years ago after dinning at a Chinese restaurant I just put the cookie in my shirt pocket thinking, "I don't need any change in fortune right now.  I will just save it for a rainy day."

 

So far I haven't needed to use any of the cookies and the collection continues to grow.

[thelerner]

in my younger not so wild days, I decided to make my own fortune cookies.  Carefully baking chocolate chip cookies with thoughtfully designed fortunes baked into them.  I'll be damned if half the people didn't finish the cookies before I told'em stop, you're eating paper. 

Lesson: Wise man take small bites of life; you never know what you'll have to spit out. 

Edited July 24, 2016 by thelerner

[mindtooloud]

I have a large collection of Fortune Cookies.

 

A number of years ago after dinning at a Chinese restaurant I just put the cookie in my shirt pocket thinking, "I don't need any change in fortune right now. I will just save it for a rainy day."

 

So far I haven't needed to use any of the cookies and the collection continues to grow.

 

Would you share you collected fortune with others if they needed a change in their fortune?

[Marblehead]

Would you share you collected fortune with others if they needed a change in their fortune?

Indeed I would.  Some people need support.  They go out to the rose garden and always step in dog poo.

 

All things considered, I have been very fortunate.  Yeah, I have stepped in the poo but it always seems to wear off before I go into the house.

[3bob]

I thought there might be an esoteric analogy in there (the original cut & paste) somewhere but maybe not...hehe

 

...that is unless someone wants to create one?

Edited July 26, 2016 by 3bob

[Marblehead]

I thought there might be an esoteric analogy in there (the original cut & paste) somewhere but maybe not...hehe

 

...that is unless someone wants to create one?

 

Yeah, we could go many different places with this.  But it would be mine to do only in response to what someone else had said.

 

Oftentimes we don't really know whether we have experienced good or bad fortune for a long time in the future.  And, of course, none of us can see or live in the future.  Sometimes we have to just wait and see.

[3bob]

Not bad MH, and an important point!

[blue eyed snake]

 

 

Oftentimes we don't really know whether we have experienced good or bad fortune for a long time in the future.  And, of course, none of us can see or live in the future.  Sometimes we have to just wait and see.

 

I remember my mum saying, in her old age, not long before she died.

( and hers was no easy life)

 

Well, looking back there was an awful lot of not so nice tasting bread, but the raisins in it made it worth it.

 

maybe living is being aware of the raisins at the moment they come up...

 

or something

[Marblehead]

I remember my mum saying, in her old age, not long before she died.

( and hers was no easy life)

 

Well, looking back there was an awful lot of not so nice tasting bread, but the raisins in it made it worth it.

 

maybe living is being aware of the raisins at the moment they come up...

 

or something

 

Yes, very good way of putting it.  And that reminded me of the strawberry story.

 

And then sometimes we have bread that has no raisins.  But that makes having bread with raisins much more valuable.

Edited July 26, 2016 by Marblehead

[blue eyed snake]

think she meant that every raisin you find in your bread needs to be enjoyed thoroughly,

like the strawberry

 

I'm in a  very bread-part of this life at the moment, makes me looking for raisins,  

they are still there, just takes some more awareness to find them

[Marblehead]

think she meant that every raisin you find in your bread needs to be enjoyed thoroughly,

like the strawberry

 

I'll go along with that too.

 

I'm in a  very bread-part of this life at the moment, makes me looking for raisins,  

 

Just don't be settling for no rotten grapes.

 

they are still there, just takes some more awareness to find them

 

Yeah, kinda' like finding the prize in a box of Cracker Jacks.