
The Lazy Susan Is Neither Classic nor Chinese (2014) - sohkamyung
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/lazy-susan-classic-centerpiece-chinese-restaurants-neither-classic-nor-chinese-180949844/
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dannypgh
"The pressed duck is right in front of me—and no one's gonna stop me from
getting as many pieces as I want"

Can't literally anyone at the table do that, by rotating the table away?
Technology like this requires certain societal norms to work effectively, and
this attitude seems contrary to the norm.

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wavefunction
And one might think that if getting as much pressed duck as one desires were
so important, one might choose to dine alone to one's heart's content.

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lnanek2
The quote is talking about eating as kid, so the kid probably couldn't afford
or wasn't allowed to have meals on their own. Probably didn't feel like they
could speak up and interrupt adults to ask them to pass things as much without
a lazy susan too. With the lazy susan it's OK to just rotate yourself as long
as no one else is currently spooning.

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j7ake
I understood this as Wu designed a table that looked like the modern lazy
Susan, so why is it not chinese ?

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cromwellian
Because Wu’s table was never used for eating and is not the origin of the Lazy
Susan dining table. The idea of using a rotating table to eat off of
originated outside China.

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theandrewbailey
I guess I must be so uncultured (or maybe too cultured?) to have never seen a
lazy susan in a restaurant.

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mc32
Usually the bigger ones which accommodate receptions and such would have them.
Smaller ones, holes in the walls, etc, wouldn't nor would ones in modern,
clean freeway-off-ramp strip malls, older ones may.

