Episode 38: Fortune Cookies and the American Identity

The fortune cookie factory in San Francisco's Chinatown is often characterized as an emblem of the past-the last of its kind. Located in a crowded alleyway, tourists gather to see the meticulous folding of the tiny cookie, over and over again. ​The repetition, the machinery all provide an allure of the past. The fortune cookie factory continues to be a symbol of Chinatown, Chinese-American food and Chinese culture, despite decades-old research complicating the narrative of the fortune cookie by introducing its Japanese origins. References 1. Lee, Jenny. The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: an Adventure in the World of Chinese Food. Hachette Book Group, 2008. 2. Mao, Luming. Reading Chinese Fortune Cookie: The Making of  Chinese American Rhetoric. University Press Colorado, 2006. 3. Racho, Suzie. Unwrapping the California Origins of the Fortune Cookie. The California Report, 2016. 4. https://www.kqed.org/news/11742748/unwrapping-the-california-origins-of-the-fortune-cookie 5. Lee, Jennifer. Solving Wrapped in a Mystery Inside a Cookie. The New York Times, 2008. 6. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/16/dining/16fort.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1