American Cultural Icons

I have always loved things that have become cultural icons, typically American cultural icons presumably due to the fact that I live in the US.  But I love particular ones. Rock-n-Roll culture for example, I love what The Doors have become as a symbol, not who they are as people. (More about this on my other blog). But I love other less obvious things as well.

Case in point: Fortune cookies.

I have always loved American Chinese food, I love takeout, cheap dark Hunan restaurants and I will even admit that I sometimes go for the mall food court version. I can't help it, it is delicious. And, something I love that goes along with it: fortune cookies. This purely American cultural item has captivated my soul. For years I have collected my fortunes. Much to Dave's dismay, I do in fact keep a vase full of my past fortunes, and a few extra cookies I haven't gotten to yet. I do not take the fortunes seriously, but do believe you must eat the cookie for it to come true.

My obsession with fortune cookies began when I lived in Columbus. For a period of 3 or so months whenever I would eat Chinese food (which was frequent), regardless of if I had takeout from the closest place, dinner with friends at the dive down the street, buffet or nice dinner with family-- I got the same fortune.

That fortune was: "keep on charging the enemy so long as there is life". I got it so many times, from so many different places, I decided the universe was trying to tell me something, though I was not sure what. I decided I had better hang on to these little slips of paper.

And I have done so ever since. I have the vase on our counter as I previously mentioned, but at any moment in time I probably have pockets full of fortunes, or the bottom of my purse is lined with slips of paper.

I like them so much that for my birthday one year Dave got me a giant personalized chocolate covered fortune cookie  (isn't he the best?!)

This week, another strange cookie occurrence. In both my evening graduate classes, which take place on different nights, in different rooms, involving different people-- I found a fortune. A single slip of paper suspiciously lying in the middle of the floor or table. And I am apparently the only one who noticed.  I love when the universe gives me something fun to enjoy.

Favorite fortune ever? "ignore last cookie"