# Unfortunate cookie **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 19, 2004, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-cookie/280624 "2004-12-19T08:03:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-cookie/280624/1 "2004-12-19T08:03:48Z")
What does it mean when you open your fortune cookie and there’s no fortune there? ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-cookie/280624/2 "2004-12-19T08:38:48Z")
It means either: A) you don’t exist, or B) you ate the fortune slip. I did the latter. Mom thought it was hilarious. Did I mention I was 14? And had no idea what a fortune cookie was or its sole purpose in life? ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-cookie/280624/3 "2004-12-19T09:18:41Z")
Huh. Another one of these threads with a blank OP. I thought we’d fixed that bug. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-cookie/280624/4 "2004-12-19T15:43:19Z")
That happened to my sister once and I was convinced it meant she’d be stricken with lightning as soon as we exited the restaurant. Small leap from having no fortune to having no future, see? We were 13 and 15 then, twenty years ago and she’s still with us so I think it means there was a simple production error. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-cookie/280624/5 "2004-12-19T18:42:01Z")
> [@ccwaterback](#): > > What does it mean when you open your fortune cookie and there’s no fortune there? It indicates a lapse in quality control at the cookie factory. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-cookie/280624/6 "2004-12-19T19:16:09Z")
I saw one the other day where the fortune was actually folded up and stuffed in the the side of the cookie. I guess they forgot to put it in on the line, so what the hell, let’s just stuff it on the side of the cookie. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-cookie/280624/7 "2004-12-19T20:50:45Z")
I look at it as good luck. It’s not rare for people to have bad luck, but extremely rare for people to have exceptionally good luck. I think it’s the Chinese take out equivalent of winning the lottery. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-cookie/280624/8 "2004-12-20T07:45:26Z")
It means you’ll just have to decide your future for yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-cookie/280624/9 "2004-12-20T09:14:51Z")
It actually means _you have no future_. Sorry about that. ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-cookie/280624/10 "2004-12-20T09:34:36Z")
Hmmm. Let’s take this a step farther and say there were TWO fortunes in the cookie (hey, eggs can have two yolks, right). Does that mean that: A) you have an important choice to make between the two possible fates, B) you are leading a secret double life and it has finally come to light, C) you have been bestowed with the elusive “Double Happiness”, D) you have muliple personalities and Fate has seen fit to accomodate all of you, E) somewhere in the world, some poor sap got ripped out of a fortune/“Lucky Lottery Numbers” strip, while someone at the factory is gonna get canned for lack of quality control? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-cookie/280624/11 "2004-12-20T09:41:28Z")
F) The universe branches into two distinct timelines, in each of which one of the fortunes is true. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-cookie/280624/12 "2004-12-20T12:40:27Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > It actually means _you have no future_. Sorry about that. Maybe it means I will MAKE my own fortune? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-cookie/280624/13 "2004-12-20T12:53:12Z")
Nope. If there is no official fortune/“Lucky Lottery Numbers” paper inside the cookie, then you cannot make your own fortune (no fair using any “unofficial” paper). You have naught but an empty, crunchy shell. 😛 Have another cookie. Mebbe you’ll get the one with two fortunes. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-cookie/280624/14 "2004-12-20T18:07:03Z")
And then there’s always the dilemma of having a fortune, but the cookie has been broken before you opened it. Now what in the world might that mean? Perhaps you had a good fortune, but now it has escaped through the broken cookie, never to come to fruition? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-cookie/280624/15 "2004-12-20T18:55:34Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > It actually means _you have no future_. _…in bed_ ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-cookie/280624/16 "2004-12-20T19:14:43Z")
> [@ccwaterback](#): > > And then there’s always the dilemma of having a fortune, but the cookie has been broken before you opened it… It means: A) you are a klutz, or B) the server at the restaurant is a klutz, or C) you are rich enough to hire someone to open your fortune cookies for you. Heck, I’d start my own company called _Fortune Cookie 500_? (Good one, **friedo**!) ---
**Author:** ![harmless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/2acd7d/32.png) [@harmless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmless)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-cookie/280624/17 "2004-12-20T19:42:27Z")
I went with my sister and friend to a Chinese restaurant for my birthday one year. At the end of the meal, I started the trash talking… “It’s going to be winning the lottery or something great because it’s my birthday! It has to be really good one! etc.” Of course it was empty. I did get another one for free after we explained to the waitress why we were laughing so hard. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-cookie/280624/18 "2004-12-20T20:08:20Z")
[slight hijack] One time a bunch of us in grad school were eating chinese. Well, the meal was over, and I said to the lady, “bring us the funny fortune cookies.” Well, keep in mind that I had no idea such a thing existed. I don’t even know why I said it. She says, “you sure?” So now, I’m like, “Sure I’m sure. Bring 'em.” Well, let me tell you, these were funny. They weren’t even funny jokes. . .they just said things like “Go fuck yourself” and “You’re an asshole” with a few “Fuck You”'s thrown in for good measure. ---
**Author:** ![Chastain86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Chastain86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chastain86)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-cookie/280624/19 "2004-12-20T20:18:40Z")
> [@ccwaterback](#): > > What does it mean when you open your fortune cookie and there’s no fortune there? Seven days. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-cookie/280624/20 "2004-12-20T20:20:51Z")
> [@Chastain86](#): > > Seven days. In bed? 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-cookie/280624.md?page=2)