A CFO; one of the most influential copywriters of our time
- Fai Ahmad
- Sep 11, 2020
- 3 min read
If there's a legendary copywriter worth my admiration, it's an unintentional icon who became a national influencer, formed a substantial cult following, and impacted an entire generation.
In this piece, I pay my homage to one Donald Lau. Chief Fortune Writer for Wanton Food Co, the largest fortune cookie manufacturer based in New York who also happened to be its Chief Financial Officer (what?). The unsung word crafter that impacted millions.
A Brief History of the Fortune Cookie
So prevalent and widespread, fortune cookies have been a common treat in American Chinese cuisine since after World War II. Today, fortune cookies are distributed across approximately forty thousand Chinese restaurants in North America.
Ironically this so-called Chinese biscuit of North America got its start not from China but from the land of the rising sun. With more than a few claimants as the cookies' creator, finally, in 1983, according to eatthis.com, a San Francisco court of historical review (they have this?) declared that a Japanese man by the name of Makoto Hagiwara, owner of the local Japanese Tea Garden restaurant as the official originator of the famous biscuit.
After the second world war, many Japanese migrants were accused of being involved in subversive activities and faced jail-time. This affected the production of fortune cookie tremendously. The Chinese diaspora took advantage and started taking over the cookies' manufacturing and distribution. Business was good and since then, fortune cookie became a Chinese staple in North America.
The writings of Donald Lau
In the 1980s, after Wanton Food took over a cookie plant in Long Island New York, it became apparent to his bosses that Lau, with his double degrees in business and engineering, became the fortune writer by default. “I was chosen because my English was the best of the group, not because I’m a poet,” telling The New Yorker.
Lau's first order of business was to replace the old-fashioned idioms (some even dated back from the 1940s) by the previous plant owner with more trending maxims of the age.
It was also reported in The New Yorker that during the beginning of his writing stint, he could conjure up about three to four proverbs a day. In his glory days, with an average 100 fortunes per year, inspirations came from his day-to-day activities; walking, subway rides, reading; not sitting behind his desk, he recalled. His writings are inclined heavily towards oriental philosophies, for obvious reasons.
After a little over a decade, idea fatigue sips in and he started recycling. Surviving by repurposing his old sayings, he was worried that customers might grow weary of salvaged sagacity and might switch to his competitors.
Fortunately, his apprehension didn't pan out as he remorsefully imagined. Wanton Food Co. was still able to produce between three to four million cookies a month and with demand skyrocketed, no one really complained about cracking yet another similar fortune they had the week before.
Retreating From Fortune Writing
Writer's block got the best of him and due to this reason, he stepped down after a thirty-year run in the gig. From three adages daily, he was down to about ten per month after a decade into the game. By the time he resigned in 2017, he only succeeded in churning out between two to three average adages monthly.
For that, he sought new blood for the task. The quintessential task now falls on James Wong, a nephew of the company's founder while Lau leveled-up as the editor-in-chief (or in-cookie).
Inspiring traits of Donald Lau
As a self-professed writer, I find his take on writing quite unique. Perhaps his unintentional thrust in writing gave him a very objective perspective rather than creative.
He took his job objectively not with a creative ego.
He understands that inspiration doesn't pop-up while sitting behind a desk - he activates himself to fire-up ideas - reading, walking, commuting, the likes.
His impact cut across demographics - gender, races, age group, income bracket - basically anyone who enjoys a Chinese meal.
Simple writing, in the right context, coupled with precise medium (food, in this case) goes very very far.
His specific and well-intended messages affect millions of people - perhaps billions with enough iteration.
An absolute focus on the intention with simplistic messages made a huge impact on consumers.
After composing hundreds if not thousands of adage for the past three decades, Lau managed to distill the art of fortune writing. He said in his interview with The New Yorker:
"Do not complicate the mind. Think in ten-word sentences."
Now that is undeniably a pearl of wisdom worth a writer's salt. All hail, Donald Lau, The King of Fortune Writer!
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