# 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:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/21 "2013-06-13T16:45:42Z")
Mostly. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/22 "2013-06-13T17:05:28Z")
I imagine that any foil and wire elements are being phased out because they make the food more difficult to microwave. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/23 "2013-06-13T17:13:32Z")
> [@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. Just like fortune cookies. ---
**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, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/24 "2013-06-13T17:23:34Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Just like fortune cookies. True that. My Chinese students, in China, have never seen fortune cookies before. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/25 "2013-06-13T20:01:27Z")
> [@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. They are used in Chinese and southeast Asian restaurants in Australia, but they aren’t the most common kind – that would be rectangular clear plastic boxes with lids. ---
**Author:** ![Blakeyrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blakeyrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blakeyrat)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/26 "2013-06-13T20:10:36Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > 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. I amazed a co-worker by showing him that. He was also amazed when he saw that viral video about how to remove a single Tic-Tac from the box. Another bit of knowledge I’d always taken for granted, and had no idea people didn’t know about it. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/27 "2013-06-13T20:17:15Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > 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. Yep. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/28 "2013-06-13T21:24:11Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > 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. In a million years I never would have thought of that. > [@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. They are all over here in southern California but like others are saying. You mostly get the entree in the clamshell and the rice or noodles in the oyster pail. Pick Up Stix gives both entree and rice in the pails. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/29 "2013-06-13T22:51:24Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > In a million years I never would have thought of that. Me too. Except I have always had this lingering question as to why the style of the container was the way it was… When I read this this morning I thought “Oh God, that is SOOO cool that they made the container so that it could be unfolded to make a flat plate! WTH didn’t anybody ever tell me about this?!” This afternoon I realized I had the reasoning backwards. Somebody wanted to start with a flat piece of sorta waterproof cardboard, because you know, that’s generally how cardboard comes…flat. And then end up with a box that has no seams at the bottom, corners, or sides. Well, if you fold it THAT way you get the container we are talking about. So, it’s not designed to fold flat because OMG that’s so handy and cool. Its because you start with something flat and you end up with what you end up. Now, one likes to think some Japanese Origami Ninja came up with this. But my money is on some Jewish immigrant from Yonkers 🙂 And for the record, I’ve lived in the deep south a long time. Not even a particularly big city for that matter. Those boxes have been pretty common for a long time and still aren’t hard to find as long as it’s not some entree of X with rice Y, which now comes in a plastic clam shell thingy. But its still cool and I can hardly wait to show it off and see if people get why it is the way it is 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/30 "2013-06-16T03:12:00Z")
Last time I went home to Yakima, Washington (small city in the Northwest) and ate at a Chinese restaurant the “doggy bags” were those boxes sans handles. Don’t know what they use for delivery. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/31 "2013-06-16T03:19:14Z")
At the take-out places I go to , they still use those boxes for rice and entrees. If you get a combination dinner, though, you get the Styrofoam clamshell. ---
**Author:** ![SpyOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@SpyOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpyOne)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/32 "2013-06-16T06:36:52Z")
They sometimes (often) use styrofoam clamshells, and a number of places use good quality reusable plastic trays with snap-on lids, but I have yet to find a Chinese restaurant that doesn’t use those boxes for rice. ---
**Author:** ![storyguide3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@storyguide3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyguide3)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/33 "2013-06-16T19:30:19Z")
> [@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. Amusingly, I remember seeing these containers used for Mexican takeout on a Japanese tv drama. Guess they were a sign of foreign food to the japanese. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/34 "2013-06-16T19:44:33Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > 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. Not such a useful idea if you are sharing. Pass the box around. > [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > I imagine that any foil and wire elements are being phased out because they make the food more difficult to microwave. The wire isn’t difficult to remove, and doesn’t make nuking the box a problem. ---
**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 16, 2013, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/35 "2013-06-16T19:56:03Z")
The change in the use of the cardboard containers may be related to the change in the supplier structure. Like so many other businesses, supplies for Asian restaurants of all types are now provided by mega-companies that have absorbed local suppliers. These same suppliers may now be selling the various types of plastic containers, or no longer able to provide the cardboard containers at an advantageous price. ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/36 "2013-06-16T20:12:36Z")
Got takeout last night in Arkansas, they used them. Alo last time I got them in Wisconsin. ---
**Author:** ![Intelligently\_Designed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intelligently_designed/32/20957_2.png) [@Intelligently\_Designed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intelligently_Designed)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/37 "2013-06-16T22:10:07Z")
Not Chinese, but the Canadian chain [Thaï Express](http://www.thaiexpress.ca/fr/) uses them, and even has them in their slogan. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/38 "2013-06-16T22:19:53Z")
I still see them at one takeout place, but not the other. And even the one that uses them doesn’t use them for everything. They both use the standard Styrofoam carryout containers, too. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889/39 "2013-06-17T02:03:41Z")
Dinner tonight was take-out Chinese. The rice came in the classic folded paper containers. The entrees came in plastic rectangular ones. Egg rolls and spring rolls came in a small paper bag. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chinese-take-out-places-still-use-the-iconic-boxes/660889.md?page=1)