# Do Chinese take-out places still use the iconic boxes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 13, 2013, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889 "2013-06-13T10:51:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alsoknownas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@alsoknownas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alsoknownas)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/1 "2013-06-13T10:51:14Z")
This may seem a bit trivial, but it’s important to someone! We’re visiting New York shortly, and Mrs Alsoknownas is keen to eat Chinese food from the kind of carton she used to see on the tv as a child. Like this: [![](https://foodie.ca/wp-content/uploads/chinese-takeout-box.jpg) ](https://foodie.ca/wp-content/uploads/chinese-takeout-box.jpg) Are they still the norm? eta: I’m a Brit, we don’t have those over here. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/2 "2013-06-13T11:07:05Z")
They do. ---
**Author:** ![alsoknownas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@alsoknownas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alsoknownas)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/3 "2013-06-13T11:25:24Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > They do. Thank’s, she’s grinning and miming the actions of opening and eating it. Tourists, huh? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/4 "2013-06-13T11:44:47Z")
The ones near me don’t have the red printing, they’re just plain white. If the printing is part of the experience, you might need to ask around. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/5 "2013-06-13T11:51:40Z")
It varies. I get takeout from a local Chinese restaurant, and some of the dishes come in styrofoam clamshells, but rice (fried or plain) seems to always come in the origami-folded cardboard box. For us the box is usually plain white. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/6 "2013-06-13T12:12:18Z")
The main dish comes in plastic now, but things like rice or noodles or pupu platter still come in the white boxes. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/7 "2013-06-13T12:34:47Z")
The specials come in plastic, but the side dishes and the basic stuff like chow mein that is ordered in pints and quarts come in the boxes. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/8 "2013-06-13T12:40:17Z")
Yes, some places still use [those boxes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyster_pail), although they don’t generally have the wire handle they used to have. By the way, another classic New York takeout container is the Anthora coffee cup. They’re often seen in episodes of Law & Order. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/9 "2013-06-13T13:27:25Z")
Incidentally, the little containers are shaped and folded the way that they are so that you can [unfold them into a plate](http://youtu.be/j5xb1fAHkdc), a fact easy to miss on the Wiki page. ---
**Author:** ![alsoknownas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@alsoknownas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alsoknownas)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/10 "2013-06-13T13:41:32Z")
Thanks for the replies. Glad to see they’re still available. No, print and wire handles are not required essentials. Thanks also for the fold out plate tip - but I think her fantasy involves scooping it out of the carton. God knows why this is all so vital :D. And now we can enquire by name - Oyster pail. Who knew? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/11 "2013-06-13T13:57:34Z")
I don’t recommend using the phrase “oyster pail” though, as no one will recognize that term. Best to ask for a paper Chinese takeout container. (And note that the American lingo is takeout, while in the UK, the word appears to be takeaway.) ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/12 "2013-06-13T14:02:10Z")
You can always [buy some of the boxes](http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Take-Out-Food-Boxes/dp/B0050PPCE4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371132040&sr=8-1&keywords=chinese+take+out+boxes) and put whatever you want in them to eat out of. ---
**Author:** ![simple\_homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@simple\_homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simple_homer)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/13 "2013-06-13T14:27:41Z")
The one place that you will never see those boxes is in China. In 5 years in China I have never seen those boxes even once. It is a purely Western (maybe American) creation. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/14 "2013-06-13T14:42:28Z")
> [@simple\_homer](#): > > The one place that you will never see those boxes is in China. > In 5 years in China I have never seen those boxes even once. > It is a purely Western (maybe American) creation. I haven’t seen them in the UK, either. Chinese takeaways are usually served in foil trays with (sometimes foil-lined) card lids, like [these](http://i01.i.aliimg.com/photo/v0/264037221/aluminium_foil_containers_take_away_disposable.jpg). Or, increasingly these days, in translucent plastic containers with snap-on lids, like lightweight Tupperware. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/15 "2013-06-13T14:48:21Z")
I’ve seen a Christmas tree ornament shaped like that. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/16 "2013-06-13T15:34:44Z")
> [@simple\_homer](#): > > It is a purely Western (maybe American) creation. And even at that specifically an east coast phenomenon, it seems to me. I’ve lived on the west coast my entire life and I’ve only ever been served Chinese takeout in Styrofoam clamshells or plastic plates with dome lids. The closest I’ve seen is the tiny boxes Panda Express uses when you order more entrees than will fit on your plate. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/17 "2013-06-13T15:49:19Z")
I think your best bet to getting served one of the boxes is to buy something that comes in Pint or Quart sizes, like rice, fried rice, or Lo Mein. You get the General Tso’s Chicken combo, that’s an entree and will likely come with rice in a clamshell, plastic or foil dish. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/18 "2013-06-13T15:59:12Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > And even at that specifically an east coast phenomenon, it seems to me. I’ve lived on the west coast my entire life and I’ve only ever been served Chinese takeout in Styrofoam clamshells or plastic plates with dome lids. The closest I’ve seen is the tiny boxes Panda Express uses when you order more entrees than will fit on your plate. The Midwest uses them too, but yes, you’ll often see foam trays or plastic flat pans with snap-on clear lids or even deli-style cylindrical containers, or a mix of them in the same order. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Righteous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Dr.Righteous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Righteous)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/19 "2013-06-13T16:13:44Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > By the way, another classic New York takeout container is the Anthora coffee cup. They’re often seen in episodes of Law & Order. As a native these are MUCH more emblematic of a NYC takeout container. Harder and harder to find… I love how now you can buy ceramic ones. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/20 "2013-06-13T16:15:09Z")
They aren’t used much around here anymore. Some places still use them for the rice, for everything else they’re using plastic with the clear lids or foam clam shells. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889.md?page=2)