That's the Way the Paraskavedekatriaphobia Crumbles

Fortune cookies, those little curved biscuits containing printed slips of pseudo-Sino wisdom, are typically served together with the check at Chinese restaurants around the world—except, however, in China.  If they're not Chinese, whence do these cookies hail?  Their true origins may be somewhat surprising.

Recent evidence traces the fortune cookie's ancestry back to Kyoto, Japan, where small, family-run bakeries have produced similarly shaped crackers—replete with fortunes—since the 19^th century.  The first American fortune cookies were undoubtedly served in California—exactly where and when is still a matter of debate, however.  The most common belief is that Makoto Hagiwara, a Japanese immigrant, served America's first fortune cookie about a hundred years ago in the Japanese Tea Garden he designed for San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.

Regardless of its history, the fortune cookie has always managed to elicit a smile or two.  On 30 March 2005, its recommendations even led to an unprecedented number of Powerball winners.  Since this represents the second straight month in which the 13^th falls on a Friday, I thought a little good fortune would be a possible antidote to paraskavedekatriaphobia.

Please click the links below for some fortune cookie amusement:

http://www.oddee.com/item_95868.aspx
http://www.fortunecookiemessage.com/

Further Reading:

Solving a Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery Inside a Cookie