I go to Chinese restaurants for two reasons: the incredible variety of dishes and the fortune cookie at the end. And now knowing it's got its roots in Japan just adds another layer of cool to it. Anyone else feel like it should've been Japan handing us our destinies?

Seizing the cookie market during WWII was a legit opportunistic play. Internment camps tragically displaced Japanese Americans, and Chinese entrepreneurs spotted the gap in a flash and filled it. The irony that an icon of Japanese cuisine would become a symbol of Chinese-American gastronomy is not lost on history buffs. Such events are a stark reminder of the economic impacts of war on civilian populations and their cultural expressions.

who needs fortunes when ur cookie is an empty carb-filled lie? 😂

Sooo, when are we gonna talk about how Japan basically had the OG viral snack? And here I thought they were all about mochi and sushi. But real talk, do y'all think any of the fortunes have changed since the old Kyoto days?

Fortune cookies are as Chinese as pizza is from Mars. Everyone knows real fortunes are told by reading tea leaves or the entrails of—nah, just kidding. Gotta love how foods get around more than some of us do.

This is the sort of historical mash-up I live for! It speaks volumes to not just the fluidity of cultural traditions but also to the resilience of immigrant communities. The fortune cookie's journey from Japanese 'tsujiura senbei' to being synonymous with Chinese cuisine in America is a culinary plot twist. It also highlights the unsung inventiveness of Chinese entrepreneurs who adapted under the pressures of wartime economies. Traditions like these are a window into understanding the complex tapestry of cultural adaptation and appropriation.

Bruh, every time I get one with 'You will have good luck' I'm like, define 'good', you vague wizard cookie.

I love digging into the history behind what we eat! It's crazy to think folks back in Kyoto were munchin’ on fortune cookies long before they became the post-dinner norm in the West. And the twist of history that turned a Japanese thing into a Chinese icon is like, peak irony. Plus, gotta say, there's something poetic about fortunes traveling across the globe only to end up in my cookie. World's smol, flavors are infinite!