Useless fact
What is the Chinese takeout box called?
The folded cardboard container commonly used for Chinese takeout in the United States is officially called an oyster pail.
The folded cardboard container with a wire handle that is synonymous with Chinese takeout in the United States was not originally designed for Asian cuisine. In 1893, an inventor named Frederick Weeks Wilcox patented the paper pail, a leak-proof container folded from a single piece of paperboard, specifically designed to carry fresh, shucked oysters home from the market. At the time, oysters were a popular and inexpensive street food in America. However, overfishing in the early twentieth century caused oyster populations to plummet, making them a luxury item and leaving manufacturers with millions of unused paper pails. Around the same time, Chinese restaurants began proliferating across American cities. Restaurant owners discovered that these cheap, leak-resistant, and heat-retaining containers were perfect for packaging hot meals like chop suey and chow mein. In the 1970s, a graphic designer added the iconic red pagoda graphic and the words Thank You, cementing the oyster pail as a cultural symbol of American Chinese cuisine.
Why this is true — The term is verified by historical patents, such as US Patent 494,484 for a 'paper pail', and design archives that document its original use for carrying shucked oysters.
Sources
- Paper pail United States Patent and Trademark Office