Fortune Cookies
Ralph and I flew home from San Francisco Saturday night. We had a wonderful time. Really, just fantastic. Ralph is a great kid to travel with. Enthusiastic about whatever is on the schedule. Kind, helpful and he doesn't complain.
On Sunday, Ralph shared the trip souvenirs with his siblings. One of my very favorites was the fortune cookies we picked up in Chinatown. Jordan, who knows every cool source in every corner of the city, took us to this tiny hole-in-the-wall shop where two women were making fortune cookies one-by-one.
It was kind of a crazy thing to witness. They were sitting next to two good size machines which produced flat dough circles. In front of them was a small table with a stack of fortunes. While the circle cookies were still hot, the women would grab them and fold them neatly over a fortune. One by one. They were super speedy. I will think of those ladies every time I have takeout Chinese food for the rest of my life.
Jordan knew that if you drop by the shop they have little slips of paper where you can write your own fortunes and they'll put them into a fresh cookie then and there. So Jordan and Ralph wrote up some awesome fortunes and we brought them home for Maude, Olive, Oscar and Betty.
We bought 5 custom cookies — made to order right in front us — and the cost was $2.50. They say fortune cookies were invented in San Francisco — seems like a really good souvenir.
Edit: My brother, Jared just sent me a link to this (short) video about fortune cookies not being recognized in China.
2nd Edit: You can find more info about this shop (including location) here.
posted by Gabrielle of Design Mom at Monday, August 31, 2009
13 Comments:
I'm heading to SF next weekend! Do you happen to remember the name of this amazing little shop?
Please let us know where and what the name of the shop is...
And it's true... fortune cookies are not a Chinese thing... it's for the adorable Americans.
I went to (what I assume is) that same place last summer. My husband was sure I was lost since it's in such a tiny little alley. But so cool!
That's way cool! Glad you guys had fun!
I've been there! It was a source listed in Gourmet magazine many years ago. We went there on the trip we got engaged (more than 15 years ago) and we didn't notice until we got home that the cookies we bought were all a little risque. But they were so much fresher tasting than what you get with Chinese food!
That sounds so fun! What a relevant and economical souvenir....
I love your blog - I have commented several times and have been so inspired by you! You are on my blog roll too:)
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Everyone is welcome to enter!!
When we lived in the city I threw a Chinese New Year Party and headed to this very place to pick up some cookies (wish I'd known about the custom fortunes--awesome!). The woman who helped me asked me if I wanted "sexy" fortunes or "regular" fortunes. I chose "regular" but I wonder, would the "sexy" ones have provided a good laugh?
FUN!!
I love the "give Ralph $5 and all your dreams will come true." That's the best fortune I've ever read!
I know exactly where you are talking about. We visited that very same shop on our family trip to SF a couple of years ago. We tried a few of the not-yet-folded flat and fortuneless cookies for the novelty.
Please post the name of the shop!!
I was there is '99 on vacation. What a great little shop. We brought home quite a few fortune cookies for gifts. Did you happen to ride the bus in Chinatown? That was an experience to remember...
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