So, what are the Chinese most famous for to Americans? Sure, there is the Great Wall, paper, gunpowder, Bruce Lee, Spring Festival, etc. All impressive. However, those of us who are addicted to Chinese take-out food will likely hit upon the fascinating, distinctive, and utterly efficient white take-out container.
Here is an image pulled of the web.
Nothing says "Chinese" as quickly and definitely for Americans as does that little white box with the wire handle. No one looks at it and wonders whether there is Italian food in there. [Although I have often wondered why other restaurants have not adopted it.] Many of us may even surmise that only Chinese people know how to fold it, like a secret passed on from grandmothers in the steamy back rooms of restaurants.
Here's the mystery: I've never seen one in China! I had assumed that I was coming to the homeland of the little white folded box. But apparently not. We even tried to describe it to our Chinese teacher but she had no clue what we were talking about.
So, now you see why I had to pull an image from the web. I cannot find one here.
Below are two very typical take-out containers in China. At least they are typical here in Xiamen.
Needless to say, they "pale" in comparison to the great white folded box. They do not keep the food as hot, nor can they prevent drips as well as our great American take-out container.
So the mystery is: what explains this problem? Did the great white folded container originate in America? Is it an invention of American born Chinese? Did it originate in some remote province of China that we have not ordered take-out from? A further mystery: why haven't they brought it here?
So the winner gets a fortune cookie ... but you'll have to wait until we return to the States. They don't have fortune cookies here either.
2 comments:
Interesting! I never would have guessed that those white take-out boxes did not exist in China. I looked up your question on Wikipedia (I know, how dependable is that, really), and here is what I found:
The Oyster pail, Chinese food box or Chinese takeout container is a folded paperboard container, traditionally with a wire handle (the wire handle has become less common in recent years because metal cannot be used in the microwave ovens often used for reheating the food today), serving as a portable container for hot or cold prepared Chinese food, and most often used to bring home take-out food from a restaurant.
History:
The paperboard oyster pail was developed in the early 20th century at a time when fresh oysters were more popular, more plentiful, and less expensive than they are at present. Since shucking oysters (removing the meat from the shell) takes some amount of skill and can be difficult and dangerous, it was common to have the oyster seller open the oysters so they could be taken home for use in cooked dishes. The oyster pail provided an inexpensive and sanitary way to accomplish this.
After World War II there was a huge increase in interest in prepared foods that could be purchased from restaurants and heated or finished at home. Chinese food proved to be a popular choice in the United States, since it was tasty, unusual, fairly inexpensive and traveled well. The oyster pail was quickly adopted for "Chinese take-out." The paperboard pails were to some extent self-insulating and they could be used for a wide variety of foods: packed with dry cooked rice, moist dishes such as egg foo yung and sauced dishes, though very hot highly liquid dishes such as soups were generally unsuitable.
Hmmmmm... Tanya
There is this too:
From the FOLD- PAK company:
For over 80 years we have been producing paperboard folded food containers. Beginning as oyster pails on the East Coast to hold shucked oysters, our pails were used up and down the Eastern Seaboard. In the 1940's the growing Chinese food market found our pails perfect for their take-out products.
Fold-Pak is the nations largest producer of paperboard food pails for the restaurant and take-out food industry. The Fold-Pak brand food containers continue to be the industries first choice because of our dedication to the highest quality standards and superior service to our customers.
The advantages that make Fold-Pak Food Pails the best in the industry are;
* Made from the Finest Quality Paperboard
* Holds Hot Liquids
* Easy to Load Food Product Into
* Retains Heat While Venting System
* Customer Friendly
* Wire Handles make Take-out Easy to Carry
* Microwaveable Version is Available
Most people call our food containers Chinese Food Pails. Yes, that is the predominate use for our food pails, but it doesn't stop at this market. Our food pails are adaptable for many different uses like deli, restaurant appetizers, cookie containers, or gift boxes.
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