Talk:Oyster pail

Move/rename

It strikes me that "Chinese takeout container" is a more appropropriate main title for this article; and since it's not the only kind of "Chinese takeout" container - I'm used to the aluminum foil pans ;-) - it begs the question, what other items particular to takeout cuisine deserve articles. Or does this even warrant a separate article? I've never heard "oyster pail" before - is that by any chance a translation of the Chinese words for it?Skookum1 (talk) 17:05, 20 June 2008 (UTC)

Chinese takeout containers are varied by material, size, and shape, whereas this is a very fixed item. Please read the article to find out why it's called this. Badagnani (talk) 17:12, 20 June 2008 (UTC)

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Original use for oysters

How does whoever wrote this article know that this type of container was originally used to hold oysters, and in which source is this information found? Badagnani (talk) 01:33, 21 July 2008 (UTC)

Midwest?

Why would this be specific to take-out food in the Midwest I always thought that people eat food everywhere. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Michaelkirschner (talk • contribs) 01:52, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

Agree. This type of container is used throughout the United States, and probably Canada as well. Badagnani (talk) 02:57, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

I've seen it in Canada... 65.94.47.63 (talk) 05:44, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Detective fiction

Since this is a staple of detective fiction (TV, film, novels), there should be something about that... seems like detectives always eat Chinese takeout during stakeouts... 65.94.47.63 (talk) 05:44, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Use as a "plate"

The idea that an oyster pail can be deconstructed into a "plate" was first posited in a Food Beast video on Jan 29, 2013. None of the links in the notes (including the patent) mention this "feature". There is no citation for the sentence talking about it. No mention of doing this can be found before this time, and several articles and videos made around that time and for years after reference the video and/or a link to a Food Beast article that is now dead. It all stems from that one video.

This is not an intended or common usage of an oyster pail. If this can be included, why not other uses one could find for it, such as a cup (also dining related), a hat, a coaster, a mask, a spoon, etc? This is just a silly "use" for an oyster pail someone put in a video 10 years ago. It has no business being mentioned in an encyclopedia.

video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5xb1fAHkdc

dead link: https://www.foodbeast.com/content/2013/01/29/so-apparently-weve-been-using-chinese-takeout-boxes-all-wrong-video/

History

A recent post on a pop-culture history blog provides new information on the history and origins of the "paper oyster pail." It was first patented in 1876 by Henry R. Heyl, who is also known for inventing the first stapler and staging the first public motion picture exhibitions of photographic images. He was remembered when he died as the inventor, and at least one style of "oyster pail" was sold under his name for many years. The post surveys a long line of paper oyster pail patents following Heyl's invention, and various uses of the product over the years. Also citations to references showing early uses of the pail for Chinese food, as early as 1914.

[1]https://esnpc.blogspot.com/2023/02/chinese-food-staplers-and-oysters.html Svaihingen (talk) 19:51, 23 February 2023 (UTC)