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snacks

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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?

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The Best Snacks for Baseball Season

April 29, 2013
Candy Bar Pretzels

Candy Bar PretzelsPlanning on enjoying America’s favorite pastime this spring? Whether you’re watching the ballgame from your living room or from the bleachers, rooting for the home team isn’t nearly as fun if you don’t have some awesome treats to chomp on. Handy bite-sized snacks are the MVPs of baseball snacking: They’re easy to pop into your mouth while you concentrate on the biggest plays, and they have big-league flavor. Here’s our all-star lineup of the best snacks to eat during baseball season!

Flower in Bloom Gourmet Fruit & NutsFlower in Bloom Gourmet Fruit & Nuts

A healthier spin on the traditional peanuts and cracker jacks, this assortment of mixed nuts and dried fruits is a delicious and guilt-free pick for the big game. The sleek wooden tray is loaded with cashews, almonds, pears, peaches apricots, dates, plums and more—all cleverly arranged into the shape of a blooming flower. Perfect for spring’s best sport!

Candy-Covered Pretzel RodsCandy Bar Pretzels

This sinfully delicious snack brings together all the classic treats you’d find at the concession stand—without the hefty price! Golden pretzel rods are dipped in creamy caramel and then covered in one of five candy favorites—Oreo, Butterfinger, M&Ms, Mounds or Heath Bar—to make a sweet-and-salty double play that no one can resist.

So Good Gourmet ApplesSo Good Gourmet Apples

These pitch-perfect candy apples come in four decadent flavors and are served on an easy-to-hold stick so you won’t drop the ball on game day. Take your pick from toppings like white confection and cinnamon; honey-roasted peanuts and milk chocolate; white confection and milk and dark chocolate; or pecans and milk chocolate drizzle.

The Popcorn Factory Snack Attack Deluxe TinThe Popcorn Factory Snack Attack Deluxe Tin

Only for serious snackers, this deluxe tin comes with enough sweet treats to feed the entire team. With mini pretzels, licorice, Tootsie Rolls, peanuts, chocolate chunk cookies, popcorn balls, gummy bears and five different flavors of popcorn at hand, you’ll have enough to satisfy your cravings, even if the game goes into extra innings!

It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere Martini Mixer Market BoxIt’s 5:00 Somewhere Martini Mixers Market Box

Forget boring old beer. Celebrate your big win in style with one of your favorite cocktails and some fancy salty snacks. This kit already comes with everything you need to make a toast your team players: lemon drop, cosmopolitan and dirty martini mixes, plus savory bits like stuffed Greek olives, cheese straws and more.

So, baseball fans: What’s your favorite team, and what kind of snacks do you like to eat while you cheer them on?

Feedback

Our Weekly Email – Tell us what you think. (3 winners!)

September 22, 2010
Halloween Haunted House Treat Box
Halloween Haunted House Treat Box

Hi. We send out a weekly 1800Baskets.com email every Tuesday. We were thinking about how to turn that into a fun contest as well.  So how about this. After the email goes out each week (typically on Tuesdays), we’ll make a FB post and provide a link to the blog. On the blog, you tell us what you like and what you don’t about the weekly email. We’ll pick a few winners – this week it’s 3 (yay!) – and the winner gets the product featured in the email.

 
So for your feeback you post below, try and make it about a paragraph and please tell us BOTH the positive and the negative aspects of the email. As many of you know, we think feedback is vital, so that’s why we don’t shy away from asking for negative feedback.
 
And as always, we want to let you know, we print out EACH AND EVERY COMMENT with your name next to it. We then bring the printed comments into our Design Room and discuss them. 🙂
 

Current Party Status:

Winner #1) Anne M.

Winner #2) Sil Leoen

Winner #3) Jen

Surprise Winner #4)  Roxanne

If anybody’s searching, here’s an active coupon code: BSKTS15FB (15% off your entire order).

 

Back to School, Feedback

Have a kid who just left for freshman year at college?

August 25, 2010
Snack N Study Gift Basket

Snack N Study Gift Basket

Have a kid who just left for freshman year at college? We want to send 3 Snack ‘N Study Gift Baskets to 3 different freshman who are missing home just a bit, but will not quite admit it. 🙂

Please post about a paragraph telling us about it feels to have your kid/nephew/niece/cousin away at their freshman year of college and how you think they must be feeling. We really want to hear your thoughts on this because we as parents have this on our minds at this time of year. It’s a big time of year for both the parents and kids. Life for both is changing. We want to make sure we capture those emotions and sentiments as we begin to design all new concepts and designs.

We’ll pick 3 random posters and send their kid/nephew/niece/cousin the Snack ‘N Study Gift Baskets along with a message of your choosing.

Current Party Status:
1) Winner #1 is “Jen“!
2) Winner #2 is “Charlotte”!
3) Winner #3 is “Kim Staton”!

4) What’s the Prize: Snack ‘N Study Gift Basket

If anybody’s searching, here’s an active coupon code: BSKTS15FB (15% off your entire order).