Fortune Cookies

The icing on the cake, a fortune cookie is what every person is presented with at the end of an Asian meal. What was originally reserved for Chinese royalty can now be scooped up by the handful at any Asian restaurant. I personally do not see any truth behind the typical palm readings or mystical fortune tellers yet, I admit, I cant help but feel somewhat giddy when a fortune cookie is within my presence. I have observed this with other people as well. In the line for the Asian bar at the dining halls last year there was always a bowl filled with fortune cookies at the start of dinner service. Every single person eagerly grabs at least two to three fortune cookies at a time. By the end of the dining hall service you were lucky to find even find one fortune cookie. My roommate is obsessed with fortune cookies, cracking one open after a meal in her own particular way each and every time. What makes the fortune cookie, made up of flour, sugar, and milk so intriguing? Can anyone say truthfully that it is really the actual cookie they want? No, it is not. It is all about the fortune, the cookie is just an added bonus.

People are obsessing over a scrap of paper that, half the time, are not even fortunes, saying general quotes such as "Listen to your Heart more often" or " Smiling often can make you look and feel younger". It is like an oreo cookie, many simply throw away the chocolate cookie portion only desiring to lick off the sweet creme in the middle. In the same way, a fortune cookie can be often thrown away or left on the table without a second thought. If the cookie is treated with more respect it is usually only to add meaning to the fortune inside. Like my roommate, it is whether you eat the cookie before looking at the fortune, eatting the cookie after, how to properly break the cookie that will determine if the fortune will come true or not.

The beauty of fortune cookies is that if the person does not like or seem interested in the "You will live a long, happy life" fortune he or she always have the option to pick another cookie out of the bunch. And when a person just happens to stumble upon the "You have a potential urge and ability to accomplish it" fortune they feel the need to make it come true by pointing out specifics of their day that relate to the fortune.We fall for it every time. One time I received a fortune that claimed, "You will go on a vacation in the near future". This was true since I was going on a trip down the Mexican Riviera later that month. In reality, fortune cookies are all stuffed withambiguous statements that can be interpreted to fit the reader's personal experiences.

A fortune cookie is a free pick-me-up that resembles a christmas present, underneath the sweet packaging is a nice gift that will more likely be thrown away in time. However instead of once a year, it can be enjoyed any time of day.