Changing fortunes...
By ElicBxn
@ElicBxn (64169)
United States
December 22, 2009 3:29am CST
Thank you Hiccup for bringing this story to mind.
A long time ago my mom was the leader of a Brownie troop.
How long ago was it? well, my sister was 7... so we're talking like 45 years go...
ANYWAY, they decided to have a party and one of the things mom and her assistant leader decided to do was have fortune cookies.
Now, remember, this is way before the days of "designer fortunes" in cookies...
So, mom carefully typed up about a dozen or so new fortunes for the girls and then she, her assistant leader and I (I was 11 at the time) as carefully as we could, removed the old fortunes from the cookies (yes, we had a goodly number of breakages, but we had about 3 times the number of cookies we needed so we were prepared) and then we carefully put the new fortunes in the still intact ones.
I seem to recall that they were a big hit at the party where each girl got one.
I got a good treat out of it too, I got to eat a goodly number of the broken cookies! No, I didn't break any intentionally, actually, I was about the best on the reinserting portion of the project - small hands and all that...
So, have you ever even CONSIDERED making your own fortunes up and replacing them?
I thought my mom was very clever!
3 people like this
18 responses
@GardenGerty (169448)
• United States
28 Dec 09
I have not considered it. I have seen recipes for making your own fortune cookies. Folding them over a bowl while still warm. Still more trouble than I would want to do.
1 person likes this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
24 Dec 09
Well, as you know, I find a lot of the "fortunes" one gets from local restaurant cookies not to be fortunes, but bland, boring platitudes. I call them "platitude cookies." So I've often wished I could be hired by a fortune cookie company to write real fortunes. I'd put things in the cookies such as, "You will meet tall, dark stranger, babysit his Dobermann," or, "Don't eat mu gu gai pan; Cook dropped soap in it!" Or, "City going to build freeway half a block away; move now!" Or this one, "Plane trip in future; take crash course in survival!"
I'll bet those would get people's juices flowing! 
I hate boring!
Maggiepie
"The Sermon on the Mount [is] a passage that is so radical that our own defense department wouldn't survive its application." --Obama
I hate boring!
Maggiepie
"The Sermon on the Mount [is] a passage that is so radical that our own defense department wouldn't survive its application." --Obama@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
24 Dec 09
Actually, don't you think it'd be fun to make those as stocking stuffers someday, with fortunes geared specially toward the recipient? I wouldn't mind helping!
And btw, I doubt anyone would worry about my made-up fortune cookies--they'd just laugh. Unless they were superstitious, in which case they deserve to be unnerved! They'd soon realize they were foolish to fret over such nonsense, when they failed to come true!
Maggiepie
"The Sermon on the Mount [is] a passage that is so radical that our own defense department wouldn't survive its application." --Obama
1 person likes this
@TheCatLady (4691)
• Israel
22 Dec 09
I have seen recipes for making fortune cookies on the internet. It's really easy. You just have to be fast in folding them while they are still hot. It would be awesome to do it for a get together. I just might try it. Just would have to thinik of good sayings to put in the middle.
1 person likes this
@TheCatLady (4691)
• Israel
22 Dec 09
I would just have to translate them into Hebrew for my non English speaking friends.
1 person likes this
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
23 Dec 09
yes I like that you mom was very wise, and creative what a good idea, I would never have thought of it. Excellent idea my friend. I think maybe I will borrow that idea and use it myself.
1 person likes this
@blackbriar (9075)
• United States
22 Dec 09
That was very clever of your mom to come up with the fortune cookie idea. This is the first I've heard anyone doing this. -Kudos- to her creative imagination. I used to hate the taste of fortune cookies but either my taste has changed over the years or the recipe has cause I now enjoy them.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (64169)
• United States
22 Dec 09
I think kids don't like them as much as adults, because they do have a subtle flavor - I've always liked them, because I like different things in different cookies - and in them I like the crisp, light not too sweetness.
Now, I really don't know if mom had the idea, and I can't ask her now, it really doesn't seem like one of her ideas tho - she was smart, but not... imaginative...
@BarBaraPrz (51811)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
22 Dec 09
A few weeks ago, my friend and I were out shopping and stopped at Bulk Barn for some things. On a whim, I bought two fortune cookies, one for each of us. I forget what the messages were now (something to do with our personalities), but they were so apt for each of us.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31633)
• United States
22 Dec 09
What a fun thing to do! I'm sure the troop loved it and your mom was very creative to think of such a thing. I have no desire to make my own fortune cookies or even to buy some after I saw how many calories they are. I do enjoy them when I go to a Chinese restaurant or buffet, though, which is maybe twice a year.
1 person likes this
@gitfiddleplayer (10362)
• United States
23 Dec 09
That sounds like a fun idea. I think I might have to try that someday.
1 person likes this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
22 Dec 09
Your mom was very clever to do that, Elic. I hope your mom has a nice christmas. MERRY CHRISTMAS.
@cerebellum (3863)
• United States
23 Dec 09
That was very clever of your mother! I would never have thought of that and if I did I would have broken every one small hands or not.
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
22 Dec 09
LOL i made it as far as juniors..i got the styling green uniform..whee 
um..i've considered making them (the cookies)but i hadn't tried yet.
i bet with the right messages that might be hilarious for say a new year's party..
um..i've considered making them (the cookies)but i hadn't tried yet.
i bet with the right messages that might be hilarious for say a new year's party..@ElicBxn (64169)
• United States
22 Dec 09
My sister went all the way and worked for them for just shy of 20 years.
I know in the 1980's I once saw some "sexy fortune cookies" for like bachelorette parties or something - never actually saw the fortunes, wasn't interested then, not interested now... I'd probably be blushing like nobody's business, they'd mistake me for YOU!
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
22 Dec 09
I thought about it one time when I was watching how things are made kind of show on the food network. But then I forgot about it later. That does seem like fun. Did you get the recipe off the internet?
I liked the wedding proposal fortune cookies they had on TV. Seemed really neat.
1 person likes this
@jerzgirl (9384)
• United States
22 Dec 09
That was a pretty cool idea for back then, Elic! And, I imagine it would be pretty difficult to reinsert those strips of paper. I don't like eating fortune cookies myself, unless they're chocolate or lemon flavored. I'd like to see real fortunes come back again - they aren't even fortunes any more in them. Just more like Confucius type sayings with lottery numbers you can use. LOL
