Fortune with a Joke.

Reading a Fortune cookie is always full of fun and laughter with a few friends after a meal at the Chinese Restaurant. I always noticed people or families were always enjoyed the Fortune Cookie's part . I did not realized it will be much more fun if one of them put a joke on it.
Today, me and a few business associates decided to go eat at a Chinese Restaurnt after our business meeting. Although it was a Buffet Restaurant we did not want buffet but ask the owner, a good friend to cook us something different. He cooked us
Braised Bass fish with soy sauce, Stirfried Spicy Clam, Braised Roast Duck and French Beans with pork slices. We really enjoyed our lunch.
Then it was Fortune Cookies time. Everyone start reading and Anita, the comical one started reading by adding the word "On Bed " to everyone's Fortunes. Everyone really had a good laugh. So this is how it goes

" You will travel far and wide for both pleasure and business, "on bed"

" You love life very much "on bed"

" Handsome is that handsome does "on bed"

" The philosophy of one century is the common sense of the next "on bed"

The job as a Cookie Master.

Have you been enjoying your fortune cookies'sayings? Do you know who writes all these messages and what it takes to be a Cookie Master?
As a vice-president at Wonton Food, Inc., in Long Island City, Donald Lau manages the company’s accounts payable and receivable, negotiates with insurers, and, somewhat incidentally, composes the fortunes that go inside the fortune cookies, of which Wonton is the world’s largest manufacturer. Each day, Wonton’s factory churns out four million Golden Bowl-brand cookies, which are sold to several hundred venders, who, in turn, sell them to most of the forty thousand Chinese restaurants across the country. Wonton’s primacy in the industry and, for that matter, in the gambler’s imagination is such that when, in March, five of six lucky numbers printed on a fortune happened to coincide with the winning picks for the Powerball lottery, a hundred and ten people, instead of the usual handful, came forward to claim prizes of around a hundred thousand dollars. Lottery officials suspected a scam until they traced the sequence to a fortune printed with the digits “22-28-32-33-39-40” and Donald Lau’s prediction: “All the preparation you’ve done will finally be paying off.”

“We’ve had winners before, but never this many,” Lau said the other day, in his East Williamsburg office, which is furnished with stacks of financial reports and “A Dictionary of American Proverbs.” “A computer picks the numbers, not me. If only a computer could also write the fortunes.” Lau never expected to become a fortune-cookie writer. After graduating from Columbia with degrees in engineering and business, he joined Bank of America, then ran a company that exported logs from the Pacific Northwest to China. In the early eighties, he was hired by a Chinatown noodle manufacturer, which eventually expanded into fortune cookies. The firm bought the Long Island City plant, and it soon became apparent that its antiquated catalogue of fortunes would have to be updated. (“Find someone as gay as you are,” one leftover from the nineteen-forties read.) “We knew we needed to add new sayings,” Lau said. “I was chosen because my English was the best of the group, not because I’m a poet.”

At first, the writing came easily. Finding inspiration in sources ranging from the I Ching to the Post, Lau cranked out three or four maxims a day, between scrutinizing spreadsheets and monitoring the company’s inventory of chow mein. “I’d be on the subway and look up at the signs and think, Hey, that would make a great fortune,” he said. (One such adage: “Beware of odors from unfamiliar sources.”) “I’d keep a small notebook and jot down whatever came to me. I don’t think I ever sat in front of the computer and said, ‘I am going to write ten fortunes right now.’ It has to come naturally.”

Love, riches, power: there is a limited range of experience that can be expressed in one sentence, and, about eleven years into his tenure, Lau began to run out of ideas. He leaned increasingly on traditional Chinese sayings, which offer insight (along the lines of “True gold fears no fire”) but not foresight (“Your income will increase”), and in 1995 he gave up altogether. “I’ve written thousands of fortunes, but the inspiration is gone,” Lau said. “Have you heard of writer’s block? That is what happened to me.”

These days, he cycles selections from his vast oeuvre in and out of circulation. He is worried that readers will notice that the cookies are in reruns, which might result in Wonton’s losing its edge on the competition. (This is unlikely. Although there are about forty fortune-cookie companies in the United States, few have Wonton’s manufacturing capabilities.) So Lau has decided to bring in new blood. The company will soon advertise for a new fortune writer, and Lau will make the transition to editor. “Maybe when I retire I’ll write again—perhaps a book about writing fortunes,” he said. Returning to form, he summarized the thrust of the book with two simple axioms. “Don’t have too complicated a mind,” he said. “Think in ten-word sentences.”
Today's cookie "You are the master of every situation"
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Mung Beans.

Mung beans or green beans have been commonly used in Asian/Oriental cuisine for many years. It can be eaten as whole or as bean sprouts. It is a tasty source of vitamin and protein. The Chinese has shown their great wisdom by featuring Mung Beans in its cuisine with superb creativity.
The most popular to cooked whole mung beans is to boil them in water until soft. Chinese use whole mung beans to make sweet soup, which is a welcoming summer delicacy. Malaysians like to add coconut milk and brown sugar to the mung bean soup.This refreshing dessert is usually served chilled and is a good remedy to the summer heat.
Mung bean paste is also made into the fillings of some popular dessert items like mung beans cake or buns(bread). Even the starch of the beans is separated and used to make jellies and noodles.
Mung bean sprouts are the most common used vegetable accompaniment to a Chinese meal. It is an easy and convenient way to add to the fresh taste and crunchy texture of stir-fried dishes, fried rice or noodles or stuffing for spring roll.
Traditional Chinese Medicine considers bean sprouts to be yin or cooling food, which have the merits of alleviating heat stroke and detoxifying the body.

Today list of fortune cookies sayings

You have a potential urge and the ability for accomplishment. -True

Wish You Happiness -- Thanks , and I wish everyone the same- Happiness

Discontent is the first step in the progress of a man or a nation. - I guess man is never content , he always want to seek for the better, for more, for the best, will this bring him Progress?

You will have a long and wealthy life.- I love this and hope it will come true. Thanks

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Weekend Travel

Today we got to drive a long way to Tallahassee, Florida,then to Dothan and Montgomery, Alabama and back to Phenix City, Alabama and Columbus,Georgia.
The weather was cloudy, suppossed to rain.
We left Columbus, Georgia at 1015 am, drove all the way from Highway 280 East , then 27 South all the way to Tallahassee. Took us 3 hours driving, and everyone was hungry so we took lunch at the Super China Buffet.
Lunch is $ 6.40 per person, drinks separate. On the Buffet line there were more than 150 items from Japanese, Chinese, Mexican to American Food.You can have baked Salmon,Dim Sum, Lo Mein Noodles, Bar b que pork,ribs, Salad, Soup, Desserts, Sushi, Fried Rice, Sesame Chicken, Italian Chicken and so many more.
The Egg Custart Tart is real good, a mini tart but the crust is very crispy.And the Sushi is so fresh, a lady behind the bar made them fresh.Also if you like Terriyaki, you can pick up your choice of meat and Vegetables and the Chef will cook for you ,right on the teppanyaki grill.
They were real busy,even on a Saturday. Our waitress was real sweet, although she did not really take care of our drinks, she was a little busy.

Today's Fortune" If it is meant to be , who are you to change that. Time to believe it"
Does this mean Faith? If it is faith, can you change it? Some people believe that you can change your faith,they will not let anything block them, not even faith. When they want to do something, they are determined to do it. But, some people believe that if it is faith, you cannot change it.They will sit around and blame everything on faith.So what kind are you?
Just let time tells you.

Atlanta Dim Sum

Today we took a trip to Atlanta, Georgia.The drive is about 2 hours from Columbus,Georgia. Traffic is not too bad on Sunday. We went to The Canton House for some Dim Sum. This restaurant is always packed especially on Sunday. Even though we arrived at almost 2 pm ,we still have to wait 10 minutes to be seated. As you sat down,the waiter will bring you a pot of Hot Tea, Oolong or Poo Li.
Then you see some ladies pushing some carts and ask each table if they wanted any of the items there.As the carts came along we ordered Roast Pork bun,Siu Mai,Har Kow(Shrimp)Beef Meat Balls, Yam Cakes and Cheong Fun. All those little platters looked so tempting. Tasted Okay but not enough salt.However, we enjoyed it since we have not been eating such delicacy for a long time.
Later, we went to the Island Bakery and bought more buns and to the 99 Oriental Market to get some grocery. Here you will find all kinds of fresh and frozen Oriental Groceries, from Vegetables to Fish, Noodles, Pork,Beef, Chicken and all kinds of Oriental Stuff.
Today my Cookie says"You Love PEACE" Yes, I do love Peace,Everyone loves Peace.
Why should families members fight? Why do nations fight against nations? One race
against another race? Wouldn't it be nice if everybody and every nation live in Peace.No more Wars !!

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Chinese Food Ingredients

I have been eating out a lot recently.I preferred to cook my own Chinese Food, less M.S.G and better flavor according to my own taste.
Today I will share with you the list of most common Chinese cooking ingredients. It is recommend that you store the ingredients in your kitchen regularly if you are serious about learning Chinese cooking because they are used in most Chinese dishes. Then You don't have to go to Asian grocery store to each time you try a new Chinese recipe.
List of Most Used Chinese Cooking Ingredients
Cooking Oil (vegetable oil or others)
Cornstarch
Egg
Five-Spice Powder
Flour
Ginger (root)
Garlic (cloves)
Green Onion (also called Scallion)
Hoisin Sauce
Oyster Sauce
Rice Wine
Salt,Soy Sauce,Sugar,Sesame Oil

Today's Fortune Cookie Says."Your intense personality can make quite an impression on People"
I am wondering about this.I do not think I have an intense personality. But most of the time I do make an impression on People.
Today's Chinese Words :Yuet Lian= Moon

More great recipes are available in Nicholas Zhou's cookbook "Real and Healthy Chinese Cooking" with 530+ authentic and healthy Chinese recipes

www.999recipes.blogspot.com