Here's a question for you: What fun item is synonymous with Chinese food, but is not usually found in Chinese restaurants outside the United States. Whoever invented me, was probably inspired by the Chinese custom of placing messages inside cakes and sweets. What am I?Answer: I am a Fortune Cookie. In the United States, no Chinese restaurant visit would be complete without the crescent-shaped cookie containing words of wisdom and insight - sometimes jokes, verbal ramblings, Chinese translations and even lottery numbers!
While the fortune cookie was invented in the twentieth century, the original concept dates back to the railway boom of the mid-1800's. Unable to enjoy traditional moon-cakes during the annual Autumn Moon Festival, Chinese railway workers substituted biscuits with messages inside instead. Hence the birth, at least in the US of the fortune cookie.
Ironically, despite their popularity in the United States, fortune cookies have never caught on in China.
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