In Confucius Jane, the eponymous protagonist writes the fortunes that are inserted into the cookies made by her uncle’s factory. In reality, however, fortune cookies are mass produced. For those who might be curious about the process of making fortune cookies and the history behind that process I have compiled some links that may be of interest:

• New York Times reporter Jennifer 8 Lee takes on the history of the fortune cookie, and its connection to Powerball, in The Fortune Cookie Chronicles.
• Did you know that fortune cookies are not Chinese? This ABC News article quotes Lee on the origins of the cookie and explains who writes the fortunes for the largest fortune cookie factory, Wonton Foods (based in NYC).
• The Huffington Post has a brief but visually gratifying article about the process of making fortune cookies here.
• A more in-depth video on the making of the fortune cookie may be found here.

Finally, if you need a fortune but aren’t in the mood for Chinese food, you can always turn to the virtual fortune cookie!

Happy reading… and eating! 🙂