Fortune Cookies...What's the point?

As I strolled out of the Jade Palace Chinese Restaurant across from Granville West this past Saturday I crackled opened the wrapping on my delightful little yellow dessert, and slipped the small piece of paper from within its chamber. Several moments after failing to master my basic Chinese and reviewing my next set of PowerBall numbers, I flipped the small fortune onto its back to unveil my certain future. What I read however, was not at all what I had expected. Instead of an inspiration message explaining how I would soon be blessed with good luck, happiness, and lots of money, my fortune bestowed upon me "nice new clothes," that I would be apparently receiving shortly. Though it's only been three days my dresser drawers have failed to magically produce a nice new shirt, a pair of athletic shorts, or even a pair of fresh socks which I desperately need. Unfortunately these delightful cookies fail to specify the timing of your fortune so how am I to know when it will take effect? Am I to honestly believe that years from now when my grandmother finally remembers my birthday and sends me a generous pair of boxers that my fortune has finally come true? Or should I rather go out a spend some of my monthly funds on clothes in order to fulfill my fortune? My only satisfaction resulting from the belief that maybe now a future fortune will also come true.... So what is the point of a fortune cookie exactly? Is it simply psychological? After exiting the distinguish Jade Palace Chinese buffet that Saturday afternoon was my mental state destined to change? Though I agree that sometimes I get a few laughs from the false hope that fortune cookies embed in my brain, I can't help but feel that a small slip of paper stashed away inside a mediocre cookie is anything more than that. Fortune cookie creators may disagree, saying their inspirational messages change people's prospectives on life and maybe even give the lucky ones a pathetic excuse for events that have recently occurred. Perhaps I'm only a little anal that I wasn't lucky enough to snag a cookie that predicted a genie granting me three wishes or an A in English class. I for one have never had a fortune that I can remember coming true. My faith in fortune cookies has completely fallen apart. The only satisfaction I receive from the Chinese cookies is therefore the anticipation of learning some new Chinese words and hopefully a series of winning lottery numbers because that seems to be the only way I'm ever going to earn some money or happiness from a slip of paper. So once again I pose the question...what's the point?