A diner trying to enjoy their end-of-meal fortune cookie was dismayed to crack it open and find an advertisement in place of a fortune.
On the r/Anticonsumption subreddit, the shocked OP shared a photo of their cookie, which included a small ad for a Hard Rock sports betting app.
"Ads on fortune cookie fortunes is nuts," they wrote in the caption.
Fortune cookies have become a popular place to show advertisements to unsuspecting patrons. They often promote gambling sites, but companies like ZipRecruiter have also used this tactic.
In 2019, Vice reported that a company called OpenFortune had been working with 45% of Chinese restaurants in the United States to place ads in the cookies. That percentage has likely grown since.
All those ads are part of a larger problem of advertising inundation. That's the phenomenon of seeing ads literally everywhere — from our phones to our roadways to bus stations and more.
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According to Sustainability Directory, the increased volume of advertisements creates an artificial need and urgency to buy a new product in an attempt to achieve happiness and contentment.
But all that buying rarely makes us any happier and ends up in mountains of wasted resources, from production to the landfill.
The Global Footprint Network observed that we're using resources at 1.7 times the planet's regeneration capacity, meaning we're depleting our future resources for instant gratification in the present.
Advertisements don't have to dictate our purchases, though. Buying secondhand or at thrift stores can save money and avoid mass-produced goods, while Facebook's Buy Nothing Groups can often see users snag items for free.
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Definitely 👍 Redditors in the comments were appalled at the placement of the ad inside the fortune cookie.
"Is nothing sacred?!" one wondered with alarm.
Another added, "That made me lose my appetite."
"This is just…so gross," another said. "Feels slimy and invasive to have an ad inside your damn food."
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