The fortune is in the cookie

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Just a short story to start off the week.

My mother is a translator for a company here in Rochester that provides translation services for hospitals and clinics. One of her clients is an older Chinese gentleman that always insists on inviting my family to dinner. Well, Sunday night was the night that we finally agreed and all of us hauled over to the Super Duper China Buffet. I'm not one for buffets but it seemed like all of Rochester was there.

After our meal we received the bill and of course, a few fortune cookies for the table. Now, I never really care for the fortunes and usually laugh at the mistranslation of the Chinese words on the back of the fortune, but this time I had a reason to pay attention.

I have been feeling a little down lately about fencing and my journey to the Olympics, and the words, "Why am I doing this?", have been playing over and over again in my head.

It was as if Confucius heard about my struggle and plopped the appropriate fortune in front of me that read, "Never give up". Short, sweet, and definitely to the point.

I'm not one to follow these fortune cookie superstitions but if it's good enough for the guy who writes these fortunes in the New York Chinatown factory, then it's good enough for me.

The fortune is in the cookie-NEVER GIVE UP!

Side note:

Origins of the fortune cookie (as per Wikipedia)

San Francisco and Los Angeles both lay claim to the origin of the fortune cookie. Makoto Hagiwara of Golden Gate Park's Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco is said to have invented the cookie in 1909, while David Jung, founder of the Hong Kong Noodle Company in Los Angeles, is said to have invented them in 1918.

San Francisco's Court of Historical Review ruled in 1983 in favor of San Francisco. Although the court was presided over by a Federal judge, the court itself has been criticized as being less than serious and biased in favor of San Francisco. Its conclusions, therefore, might not be the final word on the subject.

P.S. The fortune cookie will not be served to you with your bill when eating in Beijing, Shanghai, or anywhere in China for that matter.