Chinese Takeout Boxes
My Object
An object that I believe is uniquely functional and well designed is the Chinese takeout box. Although it is a well known tool and not extremely extraordinary, it is interesting to note that whenever we see this container, we think of Chinese takeout.
Personal Selection (What are some reasons you selected this tool?)
Oddly enough, I originally selected this tool because I love Chinese food. Most people who know me very well know this fact about me. The Chinese takeout box is an iconic symbol of Americanized Chinese food.
History
Surprisingly, the Chinese takeout box was invented by American Frederick Weeks in 1894 in Chicago. His original name for the object was the “paper pail” and was originally made out of a single sheet of paper folded into segments to create the box shape.
Function/Purpose
The Chinese takeout box is most commonly used as a container for Chinese restaurants for takeout purposes. The uniqueness of this object is that it prevents from leakage and has an inexpensive processing cost. The box is disposable, but more importantly it is reusable as well. In my household, my family will never throw away a Chinese takeout box. We use then for artistic purposes but also as different containers.
User
The most common user of this object is obviously people who eat Chinese food. There is no typical gender, age group, or profession that would use the object more than others, but it is Americans that typically use the Chinese takeout boxes more than any other culture.
Materials + Production
Chinese takeout boxes are made out of paper with a wax coating to make them durable and leakproof. Red ink is used to mark the containers and metal wire is used for the handle.
Affordance
The visual form of the object does a good job of conveying how the object is used. There are not many people who don’t know what a Chinese food box is, but I’m sure that if someone came across one for the first time, they would see a container and a handle and know what to do with it. The handle is a signifier to pick up the container and carry it somewhere. The fact that there is red Chinese printing on the top indicates that whatever is being contained is of a Chinese origin.
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