Who writes fortune cookie messages?
Getting the bill is always a painful moment. Except at Chinese restaurants, because there you get a fortune cookie with a profound message to soften the financial blow. But is this tradition really Chinese and, more importantly: who comes up with all those messages?
Keuringsdienst van Waarde investigated and the answers are surprising. For example, did you know that the fortunes in the cookies are written by one man and that people in China do not eat fortune cookies at all?
The program’s reporters go to the Zaanse Schans. Armed with a bag full of fortune cookies, they approach Chinese people. Do they recognize them? The answer is a unanimous ‘no’. Fortune cookies are not eaten in China.
The mystery
But how is it that Chinese restaurants have been surprising customers with a cookie for years? The episode reveals that this was devised by an entrepreneur who owned a Chinese restaurant in America. To soften the ‘pain’ of the bill, he served a cookie with a fun message. It worked, and before long the fortune-cookie trend was a fact.
And the poetic mastermind behind the messages? That is simply the owner of the factory. As it happens, the poor man is now running a little low on inspiration. So he is looking for a team of writers. We have just applied. Watch the entire episode of Keuringsdienst van Waarde here.
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