Best Fortune Cookie, Ever

Image by C.P.Storm via Flickr

Fortune cookies are usually a disappointment - humorless, meaningless fortunes encased in a yucky cookie. We still play along, even though I'm not one to put any stock in fortune-telling. When our family is dining at the kind of establishment that issues cookies along with the bill (fine-dining, according to the younger set) we crack them open, take turns reading the fortunes aloud and congratulate the recipient of the best fortune. Then, the children jockey for our cookies and eat every last crumb.

A few restaurants, notably Honga's in Telluride, CO, have yummy fortune cookies. My husband is generous and will still give his to the kids, but I eat mine. One evening this summer, I opened my cookie to this message:

You are the master of every situation.

How awesome is that?!? I tucked it into my wallet and now have it in a visible spot on my desk. It makes me laugh. And it makes me recall another fortune, one that practically got me cooking in the first place. I had been working at a public relations firm that represented several chefs and restaurants and was acutely aware that my clients were having way more fun at work than I was. I had spoken with the pastry chef who made my wedding cake about an apprenticeship but felt hesitant about leaving my PR job. And then one day, following lunch with my husband, I received this:

"Cooking is like love, it should be entered into with abandon or not at all"

- Harriet van Horne

Sometimes a little whisper is all it takes. I tucked that quote away and soon thereafter quit my job and began that pastry apprenticeship, thus setting into motion the chain of events that would lead me to becoming the master of every situation.

What's your best fortune, ever?