Behind the carton: the story of the classic US Chinese takeaway container

It is an icon, that small white receptacle made from a single piece of cardboard folded into a trapezoid-shaped box. Sometimes there is a wire handle, sometimes a bright red graphic of a Chinese-style pagoda on the side. And inside, deliciousness. The Chinese takeaway container – at least, as it is commonly seen in the United States – is actually about as American as it gets, with its mix of ingenuity, immigrant cultures becoming home-grown staples, and the desire for convenience (also known as...