Fortune Cookies
Historic Fortune Cookie Grills Donated to the Smithsonian
Friday, July 9th, 2010Breaking news! Gary Ono, who is descended from one of the earliest fortune cookie manufacturers, is donating historic fortune cookie grills, known as kata, to the Smithsonian — thanks to a connection I made.
Armed with the contact information I gave the museum, research specialist Noriko Sanefuji went out to investigate and met Gary, who is [...]
Homemade Fortune Cookies at the Smithsonian
Sunday, May 16th, 2010Noriko Sanefuji of the Smithsonian made homemade fortune cookies for my visit to the Smithsonian using a recipe she had found. They were really fragile though, so only three survived, which she gave me.
Beijing Fortune Cookie Exporters
Thursday, April 29th, 2010I just got this e-mail sent to me on the contact form on my site. I find it amusing that they have been exporting for “many years” and that their cookies have “enjoyed popularity in both China and abroad”
Dear Sir / Madam
We wish to inform you that We have been exporters of cookies for many years.We [...]
The Census is Coming To You Via Fortune Cookies
Saturday, February 20th, 2010The Seattle Times is reporting the Census Department is using fortune cookies as a marketing device
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Tsue Chong Co., a Seattle fortune company that also sells “unfortunate cookies”, is inserting five different census messages into 2 million cookies being shipped to restaurants and groceries across Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.
They have messages such as “Put down [...]
One Thousand Marijuana Plants Found at Old Fortune Cookie Factory
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009
The Oakland Tribune has a great crime story about 1,000 marijuana plants — up to four feet tall — which were found at an old fortune cookie factory in Oakland. The estimated value? About half a million dollars.
The factory, originally owned by the Kar Mee fortune cookie company, appears to be founded in 1977. It [...]
Fortune Cookie Christmas Tree Ornaments
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009Urban Outfitters is offering a fortune cookie Christmas ornament for sale online. I wonder what meaning it would derive from having a fortune cookie hanging on their pine tree.
Now You Can Get Fortune Cookies on Your iPhone with a Ching Chong voice.
Saturday, September 19th, 2009A new iPhone app called LuckyFortune now gives you a fortune cookie in your pocket. You can shake it and the cookie rolls around (real video, not CGI, the company said) and breaks to the sound of (of course) a gong.
Then (yikes) this faux Chinese-y accent comes on and reads your fortune. It definitely doesn’t [...]
Fortune Coo-keys!
Sunday, August 30th, 2009Sent to me via Twitter by @ascottfalk..
“Fortune Cookeys” for keys. It reminds me that early spelling of fortune cookies was actually “fortune cooky” as of the 1950s. And before that “fortune tea cakes.” I wonder if the “fortune cooky” was an intentional or unintentional mis-spelling by the part of the Chinese entrepreneurs.
Fortune Cookies on Your Hotel Bed
Wednesday, August 19th, 2009Went to the Dana Hotel in Chicago this weekend and was amused that instead of chocolates, they placed chocolate-covered fortune cookies during their turn-down service. The cookies were very good.
The Rubber Bands Are Heading in the Right Direction.
Sunday, May 24th, 2009This is a fortune that was sent to me by a reader:
I’m sending you a picture of a fortune I got out of a cookie about five or so years ago. It’s the strangest fortune I’ve ever received and I thought you might like to see it. I’ve kept it pinned on my [...]
Song Lyrics Exclusively From Fortune Cookie Fortunes
Monday, May 18th, 2009This is an amusing stop animation video on YouTube where all the song lyrics are derived from fortune cookies. The funny thing is I’ve seen some of these fortunes before, like “The first and only love is self-love.”
At 7 minutes, it looks like it took a long time to put together!
This Paper is Not Edible
Saturday, May 9th, 2009My friend Tomoko, who lives in Tokyo, went to an upscale Chinese restaurant called Si Chuan Do Hua and had fortune cookies served to her. It was the first time it had happened to her. The fortune was in Japanese and English.
The more amusing thing is that on the back it warned, in small writing, [...]
LAT: Bringing Fortune Cookies into the 21st Century.
Monday, January 26th, 2009A Los Angeles Times columnist, Gregory Rodriguez, writes about Kenny Yee, who bought one of L.A.’s four Chinese fortune cookie factories. (Good luck, the margins are awful.) I wonder which four there are. There is Amay, Peking Noodle, now-defunct Hong Kong Noodle…which else.
I’m a bit sad about this part of his piece.
I hate to [...]
About Time I Got Out of That Cookie
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009This is the most hysterical fortune that someone at my talk at the Richmond Jewish Community Center (which has a water slide!). Those people over Wonton Food are getting quite frisky.
Baby meets Mexican Fortune Cookies, Dichos!
Monday, November 24th, 2008My college roommate, Amy, was served the Mexican fortune cookies called dichos, that I’ve written about before. She lives in Phoenix and was served them in Bisbee, just 5 miles from where they are made. Yes, it seems that Bisbee is in the middle of nowhere.
And their supercute son, Alex, loved them too. Or the [...]
Fortune Cookie Pendants, Some for $1,100.
Friday, October 31st, 2008My friend’s mom bought me this fortune cookie pendant as a present, adding to my collection of fortune cookie trinkets. It even has a tiny fortune inside.
I’ve been surprised at the use of fortune cookies in jewelry. Out of curiosity, I Googled “fortune cookie pendant” and was surprised to find that you can find one [...]
My Worlds Converge: Fortune Cookies meets City Room
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008This piece by Willie Neuman talks about fortune cookies (protesting the M.T.A.) on City Room. Some of the sayings (none by Confucius, as much as we can see)
“If you cut transit service, this cookie will give you heartburn.”
“Raising transit fares will wreak havoc on your love life.”
“In a tough economy, it is wise to [...]
Who was the mysterious fortune cookie king?
Monday, October 13th, 2008Got an email from a reader. Does anyone know who this mogul could have been?
In the late 1980s and early 90s I worked for a small arts publisher then located on the north side of Spring Street between Crosby and Lafayette in Soho. On the floor below us there was a small, ancient, one-man printing [...]
A fortune cookie still life, by Abbey Ryan, for sale on Ebay
Monday, October 6th, 2008Abbey Ryan, who creates a painting a day, has a fortune cookie still life on sale on eBay called Fortune Cookie No. 2. It is currently at $107. There seems to be quite a bit of fortune cookie-inspired art. My personal favorite remains a portrait of Mao, made out of hundreds of cookies.
abbey ryan, [...]
Now Available: Fortune Cookie Cupcakes
Monday, September 8th, 2008Fortune Cookie cupcakes from A Baked Creation. . As they explain: “We made fortune cookies out of gum paste and inserted her unique personal notes. The green icing relates to the company’s famous colour.”
General Tso-themed baby wear
Monday, September 8th, 2008General Tso Onesie
Available from Etsy, a “General Tso onesie” — which is funny because no sign of General Tso anywhere, just fortune cookies. Which shows both have become interchangeable symbols for Chinese food. The desription:
Grab this adorable “General Tso” baby onesie for your little one. American Apparel 100% Organic Cotton. Machine washable. Triple seat [...]
Who knew there were Greek fortune cookies? A British lottery winner strikes it big.
Monday, August 25th, 2008(From a while back. I am just catching up. An engineer in Britain played a lucky number from a fortune cookie he got in Greece four years ago and won £2,355,880 (about $5 million!). A smaller version of what happened in the United States and in Brazil.
More surprising to me: That fortune cookies have made [...]
ABC: The mystery of the fortune cookie’s history
Sunday, August 17th, 2008Television loves fortune cookies as a result of the Beijing Olympics. I did a segment with ABC on the history of the fortune cookie with Juju Chang.
I swear, fortune cookies and “man date” are going to be part of my obituary, or at the very least the college reunion report.
ABC, fortune cookies, juju chang, Media [...]
Joe Grimm, recruiter extraordinaire, departure party at Unity
Saturday, August 9th, 2008At Unity, about 100 people came to the departure of Joe Grimm, who I must say is the best newspaper recruiter that I have ever met, from his job at the Detroit Free Press. He’s touched the career of hundreds upon hundreds of young journalists (including me) — encouraging
I first met him at AAJA in [...]
A Fortune Cookie Chronicles book club at the Fortune Cookie Chronicles Powerball Restaurant
Wednesday, August 6th, 2008This is very adorable. I got a great email leading me to the photo above. “I’m the organizer for my neighborhood’s book club. We read your book last month and then ate at King Buffet, which is one of the fortune cookie winning restaurants here in Lawrence, Kansas.” The photo is of them holding [...]