Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
167
Fortune Cookies
Those crisp y c ookies with wise , pr escient, or just plain c onfusing sa yings
slipped inside ar en't Chinese at all . While the orig in of f ortune c ookies isn't
exactly known, they ar e believed to have been in vented in San F rancisco by
Makoto Hag iwara, who managed the Japanese Tea G arden in Golden G ate
Park from 1895 until 1925. You can visit a f ortune cookie factory on Ross Alley
in Chinat own (see abo ve), and with this r ecipe y ou can make the c ookies
yourself at home , complete with y our own fabulous f ortunes.
Ingredients
1
/
4
cup flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons oil
1 egg white, beaten until stiff
1
/
4
teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons water
Combine flour, sugar, c ornstarch, and oil in a bo wl. Fold in the beat en egg
white. Add vanilla and wat er. The batter should ha ve the thin c onsistency of
crepe batter; if it's too thick, add more water. In a small nonstick or lightly oiled
skillet over medium heat, pour one tablespoon of the batt er, spreading it out
into a 3-inch circle. Cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Turn the cookie and
cook 1 minut e more. Remove from the pan and plac e a paper f ortune in the
center. Fold in half , then bend the tips t o form the f ortune cookie shape. Be
careful—the cookie will be hot. Place in an egg car ton to hold the shape until
cool. Makes about 12 cookies.
6
965 Clay St.
&
415/391-1188.
www.chsa.org. Admission $3 adults, $2 seniors and college students, $1
children 6-17, free children under 6. Free first Thurs of month. Tues-Fri noon-5pm; Sat noon-4pm.
Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company
All ages.
You can't miss with a visit to
this factory, where golden discs quickly become crispy cookies complete with a fotune. The
place is small, and y ou may have to wait y our turn to watch the ladies handle the cookie-
making machine. Bags of fortune cookies and yummy almond cookies to munch while you
continue your excursion are available for a fe w dollars. The locals themselv es prefer their
cookies flat and r ound, without the little sayings tucked inside (they 've read enough for-
tunes for a lifetime.) You can also buy cookies in their unfolded form—although they're not
nearly as much fun. If you take pictures, it's polite to leave a tip.
56 Ross Alley (btw. Jackson and Washington sts.).
&
415/781-3956.
Free admission. Daily 10am-7pm.
Portsmouth Square
All ages.
In this spot, Yerba Buena officially became S an
Francisco when Captain John Montgomery claimed the settlement for the United States
in 1846 on the ev e of the M exican-American War. Chinese immigrants ran businesses
close to the square even then. Today, a handy parking garage is underneath, and a section
