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Good Chinese Food with Bad, Bad Packaging

I was absolutely starving after work today so I decided to order Chinese carry-out, which I naively assumed would come in a cardboard container. This was not the case, unfortunately. My food came in a giant plastic rectangle. Poop!!

Now I'm asking: Whatever happened to those cute cardboard boxes that Chinese take-out used to come in? Why have Chinese restaurants abandoned their signature packaging for ugly plastic boxes? Why, I ask, Why?

Photo courtesy of Brooklynrecord.com
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Anonymous said…
The very same thing happened to me when I first started Fake Plastic Fish. I made the same mistake. Witness my embarassment among all the rest of my Week 1 plastic waste:

http://www.fakeplasticfish.com/2007/06/week-1-results-207-oz-of-plastic-waste.html

Go easy on yourself. But do remember to ask questions when ordering take out. Pizza is usually pretty safe!
December 13, 2007 at 9:16 PM
Going Crunchy said…
Hi LLP,

I rarely do takeout now due to the environmental waste....and part of my crunch efforts are also about thrift and a return to simple values.

But- - - I also live here in the USA too and will succumb to take out eeeevvverryyy once in a while.

My fav Chinese place did the same thing- --and I let them know about it. When I call for a take out now I do have them use ONLY the cardboard. It does eliminate the soups though.....bummer.

I've also found I can rinse and re-use the cardboard box for further stretching it. You can also tell them no to the plastic-ware, extra sauces, etc. which are all plastic. This cuts my guilt down a bit! Shannon
December 17, 2007 at 11:58 AM
Anonymous said…
why do you think they've eliminated the little paper boxes? COST! Those stupid plastic rectangles are cheaper than the signature paper boxes. I would say that there are no Chinese restaurants in my area where they are even an option anymore.
December 18, 2007 at 9:17 AM
Jeanne said…
Cost is an obvious reason, but I also think some restaurants think people want those huge, thick plastic containers so they can reuse them. The problem is, I'm pretty sure that most people don't want them and just throw them away.
December 18, 2007 at 9:56 AM
Anonymous said…
I confess, I do love reusing those horribly wasteful plastic rectangles -- they're really handy in the freezer. Perhaps someone on Freecycle might be interested in taking them off your hands?
February 6, 2008 at 6:17 AM
Unknown said…
I THINK THE CHINESE RESTAURANTS USING THE PLASTIC BOXES BECAUCE THEY THINK YOU MAY HAVE SOME LET OVER THEN YOU CAN REHEAT IN THE MIRCOWARE LATER.
September 28, 2008 at 1:12 PM
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