Some sights and sounds from the Monterey Park Cherry Blossom Festival

My exhibit display:

The Origins of the Chinese Fortune Cookie Started with a Japanese-American

I've seen Brian Kito do his mochi & manju stage demonstration for over a decade, each year at the Monterey Park Cherry Blossom Festival; but usually I'm too busy at my own tables to pay close attention.

This year I was happy to be able to take a break and watch and film his demo. I was shocked to learn about the murky origins of the Chinese fortune cookie; and how that in all likelihood, it's a Japanese-American invention.

Sorry about the audio quality, but listen to Brian explain how the origin has been traced back to his grandfather.

http://www.fugetsu-do.com/history.htm

From Wikipedia:

Seiichi Kito, the founder of Fugetsu-do of Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, also claims to have invented the cookie.[8] Kito claims to have gotten the idea of putting a message in a cookie from Omikuji (fortune slip) which are sold at temples and shrines in Japan. According to his story, he sold his cookies to Chinese restaurants where they were greeted with much enthusiasm in both the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. Thus Kito's main claim is that he is responsible for the cookie being so strongly associated with Chinese restaurants.[citation needed]
Up to around World War II, fortune cookies were known as "fortune tea cakes"—likely reflecting their origins in Japanese tea cakes.[2]
Fortune cookies moved from being a confection dominated by Japanese-Americans to one dominated by Chinese-Americans sometime around World War II. One theory for why this occurred is because of the Japanese American internment during World War II, which forcibly put over 100,000 Japanese-Americans in internment camps, including those who had produced fortune cookies. This gave an opportunity for Chinese manufacturers.

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Yami's Secret Ancient Technique Invented a Few years Ago

The college kid toward the end getting her stretch on....

LA Times Blurb from 2018 Descanso Gardens

Yesterday I discovered this LA Times mention of our teaching origami last year at Descanso Gardens.  It includes a nice photo story:

Lisa Lashaway of Montrose shows off her finished Origami Thai tulip she made during the Descanso Gardens Origami Hands-On Demonstration, led by instructor Michael Sanders, at the La Cañada Flintridge landmark on Saturday, March 3, 2018. There were two sessions where about 30 people learned how to make two origami items, including the Thai tulip and a children’s spinner. Participants ranged in age from young children to older adults. All materials for the origami were provided to the attendees. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

Kathleen Garcia of La Crescenta folds a piece of paper to finish up the flower part of her Origami Thai tulip during the Descanso Gardens Origami Hands-On Demonstration, led by instructor Michael Sanders, at the La Cañada Flintridge landmark on Saturday, March 3, 2018. There were two sessions where about 30 people learned how to make two origami items, including the Thai tulip and a children's spinner. Participants ranged in age from young children to older adults. All materials for the origami were provided to the attendees. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

Muffit Jensen of Sun Valley looks over her finished Origami Thai tulip during the Descanso Gardens Origami Hands-On Demonstration, led by instructor Michael Sanders, at the La Cañada Flintridge landmark on Saturday, March 3, 2018. There were two sessions where about 30 people learned how to make two origami items, including the Thai tulip and a children's spinner. Participants ranged in age from young children to older adults. All materials for the origami were provided to the attendees. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer

Finished Origami Thai tulips are placed next to a larger sample during the Descanso Gardens Origami Hands-On Demonstration, led by instructor Michael Sanders, at the La Cañada Flintridge landmark on Saturday, March 3, 2018. There were two sessions where about 30 people learned how to make two origami items, including the Thai tulip and a children's spinner. Participants ranged in age from young children to older adults. All materials for the origami were provided to the attendees. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

Instructor Michael Sanders helps out Beckett Wasson and his grandmother Vicky Adik, of Pasadena, with their Origami Thai tulips during the Descanso Gardens Origami Hands-On Demonstration, led by instructor Michael Sanders, at the La Cañada Flintridge landmark on Saturday, March 3, 2018. There were two sessions where about 30 people learned how to make two origami items, including the Thai tulip and a children's spinner. Participants ranged in age from young children to older adults. All materials for the origami were provided to the attendees. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

Instructor Michael Sanders shows how to fold paper while creating an Origami Thai tulip during the Descanso Gardens Origami Hands-On Demonstration, led by instructor Michael Sanders at the La Cañada Flintridge landmark on Saturday, March 3, 2018. There were two sessions where about 30 people learned how to make two origami items, including the Thai tulip and a children's spinner. Participants ranged in age from young children to older adults. All materials for the origami were provided to the attendees. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

Origami Warm-up

The trick wasn't well executed.  I know the flaw/mistake I'm making that's an easy giveaway; but will do better in the future:

Shafer's Origami Jumping Spider

On the Web:

Descanso Gardens: Robert Neale butterfly demo

Carrying on the traditions of Yami Yamauchi.

March 3, 2019

This is from yesterday:




Pam and I are there once again today.

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Hat tip:  Matthew Green

Over-sized Origami Folding at Birthday Party

Last Sunday I did a birthday party for a young, 9-year old origami enthusiast.  He wanted to make over-sized origami.  The paper his mom picked up from Graphaid was cut into imperfect 53" x 53" squares. 

There were about 14 sheets of this paper.  Half the party goers played in the bouncy house out front.  The other half were pretty good folders and were easy to coach.

Penguin Pop!

Shafer's Jumping Cricket

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