(MCT) — David Fenton’s kung pao chicken was always followed by a disappointment. He would unwrap the fortune cookie and sigh at the mindless drivel written on the slip of paper tucked inside. Even tacking on the words “in bed” to his fortune gave him little pleasure.

So, more than a century after San Francisco conceived this quaint Chinese-restaurant tradition, Fenton launched his own, fearless fortune cookie company — iLLFortune — in Union City, Calif., and began stuffing boldly wicked fortunes in the tasty treats. The New York native calls them “fortune cookies for the brave.” And if those irreverent, mean-spirited or hilariously inappropriate messages spark conversation and bring people together in unpredictable ways, all the better.