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The History of the Fortune Cookie

July 11, 2013
Personalized Gigantic Confetti Fortune Cookie

Personalized Gigantic Confetti Fortune CookieJuly 20 is National Fortune Cookie Day!

These crispy golden cookies are without a doubt the best part of eating at a Chinese restaurant: There’s just something thrilling about breaking open the cookie at the end of your meal and reading your fate on that tiny slip of paper. But did you know that fortune cookies aren’t really fromChina? To celebrate the upcoming holiday of big fortunes in small packages, here’s a brief history of everyone’s favorite takeout cookie.

Fortune cookies as we know them today aren’t Chinese at all: According to popular opinion, they’re actually American, inspired by the Japanese. They were first made in the early 1900s inCalifornia. But who is responsible for inventing the idea has been a topic of great debate over the years. As the history books have it, two people have tried to lay official claim to the fortune cookie’s fame: Makoto Hagiwara and David Jung.

Hagiwara, a Japanese immigrant, said he started serving them at the Japanese Tea Gardens inSan Franciscobetween 1907 and 1914. They were his version of Japanese rice wafers called “senbei,” and inside they held thank-you notes for the public rather than fortunes. Jung, a native ofChinawho immigrated toLos Angeles, founded the Hong Kong Noodle company in 1916 and claimed he invented the fortune cookie in 1918. He said he handed them out to poor, joblessCaliforniamen as a way to inspire them, but there was never any official record that the idea was his.

In an attempt to get to the bottom of things, the San Francisco Court of Historical Review hosted a mock trial to sort out the cookie’s past. After a long and quirky trial, the court finally ruled in favor of Hagiwara and announcedSan Franciscoas the home of fortune cookies. And yet despite the court’s decision, many people continue to credit Jung as the mastermind behind the fateful golden cookie. Still others argue that the fortune cookie has completely different origins. Up to this day, the question “Who invented the fortune cookie?” is very much an open case.

But no matter where they came from, fortune cookies are—and always will be—a staple of Chinese-American cuisine. Today, their popularity has reached such larger-than-life proportions that giant fortune cookies have become one of the hottest gift items for every occasion, from birthdays to Valentine’s Day. So on July 20, go ahead and celebrate by cracking open a humongous fortune cookie with an equally huge good fortune inside!

What’s the best fortune you’ve ever gotten after opening a fortune cookie?

Customer Appreciation, Thank You Gifts

Who do you want to send good fortunes to?

August 9, 2012
giant fortune cookie

giant fortune cookieWelcome back readers! 

As always, I appreciate all of your comments and answers. Personally, I would choose a lot of fruits with antioxidants like blueberries and pomegranate, apples, gouda cheese, and raw honey comb! One of my recent obsessions is raw honeycomb from Savannah Bee Company, I stopped there during my road trip and need to order some more soon. But enough about bees, let’s move on to prizes. Congratulations to Kelly (August 2, 2012 at 5:45 pm), ShellyAnn V. Ramcharan (August 3, 2012 at 12:08 pm), Bill (August 6, 2012 at 10:56 am), Jamekia Marrero (August 7, 2012 at 12:04 pm), and Gail (August 9, 2012 at 9:49 am)! Send your shipping information to me at amariscal@1800flowers.com and you’ll each receive our Arbor Harvest Fresh Fruit Sampler Box!

Recently, I read somewhere that Chinese culture believes in certain numbers being lucky because of how they phonetically sound and the words they are associated with. Yesterday was 8/8 and was supposed to be a VERY lucky day because the number 8 in Chinese sounds like a word used to mean “wealth” or “prosper”. Perhaps I should have read that sooner and bought a lottery ticket! Today, 8/9 is supposedly lucky as well because 9 is a homophone of the word for “long lasting”. Maybe you can all tell me if you had a bit of lucky these past two days!

I don’t know how much stock I put in superstitions, but I do know that every once in a while we could all use just a little bit of luck to help us through our day. From the big things like buying a home or having a baby down to the little things like hoping for a stress-free day, it’s comforting to know that at least someone is out there concerned about your day-to-day and wishing you well. I know I have a few friends who could use a pick-me-up and some good fortune. giant fortune cookies

If you’re looking to lift some spirits, start with a phone call or letter to catch up on their day or be a source for them to rant to. Let them know that you’re there for them and really listen to everything they have to say. You can also send them something enticing and surprise them with your well-wishes.

Obviously, I love our Giant Fortune Cookie Collection and it’s perfect for our lucky (and some not so lucky) days ahead! View our whole collection Here.

Now I want to hear from you, in the comments section (1-2 paragraphs) who do you want to send some luck to? FIVE lucky winners will receive a giant fortune cookie of their own! Can’t wait to hear all about it.

Good luck if you need it and have a wonderful weekend!