I always assumed the fortune cookie was from China? Nope. The post-Chinese dinner present that is a pop culture icon was created in the U.S.A. in the early 1900s by either a Chinese immigrant in LA or a Japanese immigrant in San Francisco. Since dessert was not traditionally part of Chinese cuisine, the cookies offered something exciting at the end of dinner and became expected in Chinese restaurants after World War II. Early fortunes featured Biblical sayings, or aphorisms from Confucius or Ben Franklin. Today’s fortunes might include lucky lottery numbers, phonetic Chinese words, and, well, some advice. There are 3 billion fortune cookies made each year, and they are not eaten in China!
And with that, here is the first in our series Advice from a Fortune Cookie: You can always find happiness at work on Friday. Now that’s genius.
