Word of the Week - 2-11-2008

Word of the Week
COETANEOUS
Pronunciation: \kō-uh-tā-nē-uhs\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin coaetaneus, from co- + aetas age
Date: 1608
: of the same or equal age, antiquity, or duration

Interesting Fact
Fortune cookies are an American invention. They originated in California, but who the actual inventor was, and which city in California is the true home of the fortune cookie, has continued to be a matter of debate.

One history of the fortune cookie claims that David Jung, a Chinese immigrant living in Los Angeles and founder of the Hong Kong Noodle Company, invented the cookie in 1918. Concerned about the poor he saw wandering near his shop, he created the cookie and passed them out free on the streets. Each cookie contained a strip of paper with an inspirational Bible scripture on it, written for Jung by a Presbyterian minister.

Another history claims that the fortune cookie was invented in San Francisco by a Japanese immigrant named Makoto Hagiwara. Hagiwara was a gardener who designed the famous Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. An anti-Japanese mayor fired him from his job around the turn of the century, but later a new mayor reinstated him. Grateful to those who had stood by him during his period of hardship, Hagiwara created a cookie in 1914 that included a thank you note inside. He passed them out at the Japanese Tea Garden, and began serving them there regularly. In 1915, they were displayed at the Panama-Pacific Exhibition, San Francisco's world fair.

Fortune cookies became common in Chinese restaurants after World War II. Desserts were not traditionally part of Chinese cuisine, and the cookies thus offered Americans something familiar with an exotic flair. Early fortunes featured Biblical sayings, or aphorisms from Confucius, Aesop, or Ben Franklin. Fortune cookies were originally made by hand using chopsticks. In 1964, Edward Louie of San Francisco's Lotus Fortune Cookie Company, automated the process by creating a machine that folds the dough and slips in the fortune. Today, the world's largest fortune cookie manufacturer, Wonton Food Inc. of Long Island CIty, Queens ships out 60 million cookies a month.

Trivial Pursuit
Well, thanks to those Falcons in black, a number of folks are down a week, leaving the door open for those crafty enough to avoid the Sports question. Will that add up to victory? Only time will tell.
Here are the questions:
Global View (Geography):
What Bavarian city is said to have five seasons: spring, summer, fall, winter and Oktoberfest?
Entertainment:
What’s the name of the Animal Planet’s effusive Crocodile Hunter?
News:
What cult flick did Ronald Reagan screen at Camp David while hosting a birthday party for Michael Deaver’s young daughter?
Written Word:
What cartoonist routinely depicted Ronald Reagan as Max Headroom clone Ron Headrest?
Life & Science:
What surgery is the only sure way to end male pattern baldness, according to the book Hair! Man’s Historic Quest to End Baldness?
Games & Sports:
What tennis star was forced to do sit-ups in her crib, according to her proud dad Stefano?

And here are the answers to last week’s questions:
Global View (Geography):
What nation leads the world in per capita fat consumption – France, Switzerland or the U.S.? France
Entertainment:
Who was the other face of Elton John’s Face to Face tour, in 2001? Billy Joel
News:
What portrait artist snaps the group photo at the annual confab of Wall Street and Hollywood bigwigs in Sun Valley, Idaho? Annie Leibovitz
Written Word:
What Love Medicine author is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of the Chippewa? Louise Erdrich
Life & Science:
What web site did American, Continental, Delta, Northwest and United launch to hawk tickets, under the motto "Visit Planet Earth"? Orbitz.com
Games & Sports:
What NFL team suits up for home games in black jerseys and black helmets with black logos? The Atlanta Falcons