<p>To celebrate my birthday last month, I was treated by my family to dinner at one of the highly recommended pan-Asian restaurants. Since we were a fairly large group, we were seated around a circular table with a rotating Lazy Suzy at the centre. The atmosphere in the restaurant was relaxed, with comfortable seating, a pleasing themed décor, discreet background music, good service and, as we were to discover, great food.</p>.<p>At the end of the meal we were served with a tray of Chinese fortune cookies. Fortune cookies are not in fact Chinese in origin. They most likely came from Japan and were brought to California by Japanese immigrants in the late 19th or early 20th century. The original Japanese version was later modified and embraced by local Chinese restaurants and very soon the popularity of the fortune cookie spread to other parts of the United States and to countries all over the world.</p>.<p>The cookie, a crisp and sugary wafer made from flour, sugar, vanilla and sesame seed oil, is not the main attraction; the tiny strip of paper extracted by cracking open a randomly selected cookie, is. The suspense of what the message could contain and its possible relevance leaves us spell-bound and cracking open a fortune cookie is one of those childhood joys that we never seem to outgrow. </p><p>Never mind that the missive is usually an innocuous piece of writing with a vague prophecy or a piece of advice. These are in any case too stereo-typed and general to have any real meaning. What matters is that the messages are actually quite entertaining and provide much amusement and hilarity when read aloud, exchanged and shared with all those present.</p>.<p>My four-year-old granddaughter watched with wonder as each cookie was cracked open to reveal a small strip of paper bearing the fortune message inside. She squealed with delight when her own message was read out to her, “A nice surprise awaits you this week.” She left the restaurant with the excited expectation of the surprise that she was going to receive from the “paper cookie,” as she called it. </p>.<p>Were we going to keep that magic alive for her like millions of adults around the world sustain the myth of Santa Claus or the legendary Tooth Fairy to bring wonderment and <br>joy into children’s lives? The excitement and sheer ecstasy on my granddaughter’s face was worth watching, as the following day she tore open the Peppa Pig puzzle that she had been eyeing in the neighbourhood toy shop. And all thanks to the humble fortune cookie! </p>
<p>To celebrate my birthday last month, I was treated by my family to dinner at one of the highly recommended pan-Asian restaurants. Since we were a fairly large group, we were seated around a circular table with a rotating Lazy Suzy at the centre. The atmosphere in the restaurant was relaxed, with comfortable seating, a pleasing themed décor, discreet background music, good service and, as we were to discover, great food.</p>.<p>At the end of the meal we were served with a tray of Chinese fortune cookies. Fortune cookies are not in fact Chinese in origin. They most likely came from Japan and were brought to California by Japanese immigrants in the late 19th or early 20th century. The original Japanese version was later modified and embraced by local Chinese restaurants and very soon the popularity of the fortune cookie spread to other parts of the United States and to countries all over the world.</p>.<p>The cookie, a crisp and sugary wafer made from flour, sugar, vanilla and sesame seed oil, is not the main attraction; the tiny strip of paper extracted by cracking open a randomly selected cookie, is. The suspense of what the message could contain and its possible relevance leaves us spell-bound and cracking open a fortune cookie is one of those childhood joys that we never seem to outgrow. </p><p>Never mind that the missive is usually an innocuous piece of writing with a vague prophecy or a piece of advice. These are in any case too stereo-typed and general to have any real meaning. What matters is that the messages are actually quite entertaining and provide much amusement and hilarity when read aloud, exchanged and shared with all those present.</p>.<p>My four-year-old granddaughter watched with wonder as each cookie was cracked open to reveal a small strip of paper bearing the fortune message inside. She squealed with delight when her own message was read out to her, “A nice surprise awaits you this week.” She left the restaurant with the excited expectation of the surprise that she was going to receive from the “paper cookie,” as she called it. </p>.<p>Were we going to keep that magic alive for her like millions of adults around the world sustain the myth of Santa Claus or the legendary Tooth Fairy to bring wonderment and <br>joy into children’s lives? The excitement and sheer ecstasy on my granddaughter’s face was worth watching, as the following day she tore open the Peppa Pig puzzle that she had been eyeing in the neighbourhood toy shop. And all thanks to the humble fortune cookie! </p>