In a midsized town in Beijing, a middle-aged Chinese man is given a fortune cookie. He tears open the cellophane wrapper and drops the cookie into his palm. He pauses for a brief moment to study the uniquely shaped cookie. He pops it into his mouth and begins to chew. Moments later a confused expression appears on the man’s face. He puts his fingers inside his mouth and pulls out a small sliver of paper. His confusion turns to anger. He’s upset that a piece of paper was left in the cookie. So goes one of the many amusing anecdotes of Derek Shimoda’s documentary, “The Killing of a Chinese Cookie.”

The irony of the fortune cookie is revealed from the beginning while mysteries swirling around its origin and hold on people is explored. Aren’t fortune cookies Chinese? You aren’t alone in this school of thought. Play a round of free association with the words fortune cookie and more times than not Chinese will be the first word out of people’s mouths. Now if the fortune cookie isn’t Chinese, what is it? This documentary searches for these answers and more.

According to various sources from the film, the fortune cookie could have been born from any number of cultures. Even the origin of the first fortune cookie’s location is an undiscovered mystery. So who is the rightful creator? As a member of the team that worked on this documentary, I’m not at liberty to reveal the answers (we’re trying to get people to watch the film. I’m sorry. Here comes the plug - May 5th Imaginasian Theater in Los Angeles, 7pm!) What I can discuss is the surprising laughs found while exploring all the interesting possibilities that come up throughout the film.

ImaginAsian Center in Los Angeles

official site: The Killing of a Chinese Cookie