Food: It's Fortune Cookie Day!

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It's Fortune Cookie Day!
Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Only in San Francisco will you find a great holiday like this-today is Fortune Cookie Day! Even if you are far from sunny California, though, you can join in the fun. Head out to your favorite restaurant that offers Oriental cuisine and grab a fortune cookie.

In case you're one of those rare people who are not familiar with fortune cookies, here is a quick explanation. Fortune cookies are widely associated with Chinese cooking. The concept is simple, yet very creative. I know of no other culture that has developed a similar idea. A simple, wafer-like cookie is cut into a circular shape. The slip of paper containing the fortune is slipped inside and the circular cookie is folded and bent just a bit before baking. The cookie also is glazed, giving the finished pastry a crispy, shiny texture. The crunchy cookie must be broken open to find the fortune.

Fortune cookies are not overly sweet. In fact, much of their sweetness seems to come from the glaze, which I suspect is made from sweetened egg whites. The outside is ever so slightly sticky, but the primary impression you will have of the cookie is its crisp and crunchy texture. The cookies can be so crisp as to be difficult to break! The baked cookie is often a yellowish-brown color, and most are about two inches long.

Diners of other cultures are often most taken by the fortunes on the small slips of paper baked inside the cookie, though. These little gems make predictions, offer advice, or spout folk wisdom. People are amazed at hte seeming accuracy and apt sayings they find in the cookies, too. They seem to be designed much like the generic horoscopes that one finds in the newspapers and magazines in that the wording is flexible and stretchable enough to fit nearly anyone's circumstances.

Fortune cookie slips also often have lucky numbers printed on them. People may use the numbers to guide decisions, influence financial affairs, or even choose gambling ventures. A recent news item at the national level told the story of an inordinate number of winners on a lottery drawing. There were far more winners, apparently, than the laws of chance indicated that there should be, and officials were concerned about tampering or other illegal action. Upon further investigation, however, many of the lottery winners divulged the reason that they had chosen the numbers they did: the numbers were printed on a widely-distributed type of fortune cookie slips! In essence, the fortune cookie company was the one who had chanced upon the great combination of numbers.

No matter whether you actually believe in the accuracy and validity of the fortunes or not, fortune cookies are a fun and tasty treat. It's no wonder that San Francisco has declared a special day to celebrate them! And no matter where you happen to be today, you can celebrate, too. Enjoy a fortune cookie and say thanks to the Chinese culture from which they sprang. It's a good thing that creative and delightful foods and ideas cross political and cultural boundaries so that we all can enjoy them!

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