National Chinese Takeout Day

What the day is

National Chinese Takeout Day is observed on November 5. It is an informal food holiday that celebrates ordering a Chinese meal to go: the white folded box with a wire handle, the paper bag of sealed containers, the shared dishes passed around a table at home. Restaurants often mark it with specials, and many people simply use it as the excuse to order dinner.

The day has no documented founder, and no one appears to have recorded why November 5 was chosen. It shows up in food-holiday calendars without a source.

Origin and background

The food behind the holiday has a clearer history. Chinese immigrants opened restaurants in the United States from the nineteenth century, first in California and later in cities across the country. Many dishes now considered classic takeout, including chop suey, General Tso's chicken and crab rangoon, were developed or adapted in American kitchens to suit local tastes and ingredients, so they differ from what is eaten in China.

The takeout box has its own story. A folded paper pail with a wire handle was patented in 1894 by Frederick Weeks Wilcox, and similar pails were first used for oysters. They became associated with Chinese food in the United States in the twentieth century, as restaurants adopted them for carryout orders. Their shape keeps food warm and lets cooks pack sauce-heavy dishes without a leaky bag.

Chinese restaurants are one of the most widespread kinds of restaurant in America, with tens of thousands of them, many run by families. Takeout has also kept some of them open through hard years, which is part of why people use the day to support them directly.

One food safety note applies to leftovers. Refrigerate cooked rice and other leftovers within two hours, because rice that sits at room temperature can grow bacteria that reheating does not remove.

How to take part

• Order from a family-run restaurant near you, ideally by phone or directly, which usually helps the restaurant most.
• Try a dish you have not had before, or a regional style such as Sichuan, Cantonese or Hunan.
• Cook it at home: stir-fry vegetables and egg-fried rice from yesterday's rice in a hot pan.
• Practice with chopsticks, and bring the whole family into it.
• Tip your delivery driver or the restaurant staff well, and thank the people who cooked.