Chinese takeout boxes are a great example of globalization, they are more than just containers for your favorite Chinese meals. They are an iconic symbol of American dining culture. If you have ever ordered Chinese food, you must have seen the familiar white, foldable box.
This simple box changed the Chinese takeout business and gave birth to the culture that normalized Chinese food in the States. In this article, we will be going through things you should know about these boxes.
Origin
Chinese takeout boxes aren’t even Chinese. The story of these boxes begins in the early 20th century in the United States. In 1984, a man named Frederic Weeks invented them. The design he made was meant to solve the issue of Chinese food packaging for restaurants in large American cities such as New York. Originally inspired by Chinese food containers, Wilcox’s creation used paperboard, making it cheaper and more efficient.
Chinese boxes represent the relationship between the U.S. and Chinese immigrants. The box might seem like a part of Chinese food, but it made it convenient for all to eat it.
Evolution of the Takeout Box
In the past few decades, Chinese takeout boxes have undergone various upgrades. For example, the design in recent years has adapted to modern needs, such as better insulation to keep the food warm for a longer duration. The classic compartment box has transitioned into versions with several sections, allowing different components of the meal to be stored separately in a box.
Places offering takeout actively look for new solutions that are cheaper and easier. Some boxes now include extra features like windows to allow customers to see their meal before opening the box, or compartments designed to preserve the texture of certain food items.
Unique Design
One of the first things people notice about the takeout box is its clever design. Made from paperboard, the insides are usually coated with wax or plastic for water resistance. The box is designed to be lightweight, yet strong enough to hold a generous amount of food. Chinese food is nothing if not generous.
Traditionally, in the old boxes the handle was made out of a steel wire. The wire handle adds an element of portability and usefulness that serves as a marketing tool as well since the boxes with such handles stand out. The box also folds flat for easy storage and then springs into shape when needed.
The bottom of the box is wide which is also carefully designed to avoid spilling. The box’s wide bottom makes it stable once it’s open.
What’s so special about them?
Chinese takeout boxes did not take off for no reason let’s Take a look at things that made them a great choice for businesses;
Affordability
The affordability factor of these boxes made them the perfect choice for small to medium businesses. These boxes offer the usefulness that other packaging solutions did not provide.
Customizable
The ability to customize the boxes is something that made these boxes the first choice for businesses as well. People who are aware of the power of custom boxes choose these boxes since they inherently have a unique shape that naturally attracts customers’ attention.
Free of cost Marketing
Custom packaging solutions can be a medium of free marketing. The handle makes it so that the customer walks around your box with it. This helps the brand’s packaging to catch more eyes and boosts its market presence as a whole.
User friendly
The main reason these boxes ended up becoming an integral part of American society is their resourcefulness. These boxes are user-friendly, and meal wastage is minimized as these boxes allow you to just reheat your leftovers and continue where you left your meal last time. This makes the customer feel facilitated and become a regular customer. The handle plays a key part in the box being user-friendly as well.
Recyclability
The recycling process of the Chinese takeout boxes depends on the type of layering used to prevent water and grease prevention. Some manufacturers use recyclable adhesives and others use wax lining inside these boxes.
Boxes that use adhesives as a mechanism to stop grease and other food components from contaminating them are highly recyclable. However, the boxes that use waxes are technically recyclable but to do that you will have to spend more money than usual recycling. The wax gets contaminated by grease and leftover foods, the recycling plant has to individually remove the wax layer before continuing to the usual recycling process.
The rising trend of eco-friendly alternates such as biodegradable containers made from bamboo or recycled paper is replacing the traditional Chinese takeout boxes in some capacity.
So, next time you feel like munching on some food from a Chinese takeout box, take a second and appreciate the history and design that went into that simple container. This is a reminder of the global village we live in now.
