A few months back I was watching a documentary about origami. It was amazing to see just how detailed and true to life the things that people were making. At one point it became quite boring because it was obvious that any real life thing could be perfectly replicated using paper. So instead I started to enjoy the origami that was more expressive and emotional, such as "one fold origami."
Well in Taiwan there is a third type of origami, practical origami. A few years ago if you went to any restaurant, you would see this tiny box made of folder paper, on each table. I remember for weeks trying to figure out what it was for, until a friend finally told me it was for putting bones in while eating meat.
These little boxes aren't just used at restaurants, they are also used in homes. However I haven't seen them in a restaurant nor a home in several years. Nowadays people just leave their bones on their plate. I don't know the exact reason for the change, perhaps recycling, time saving, etc. But I can't say that i'm sad to see them go. Walking into a restaurant and seeing each table have a paper boxes of chewed up bones, was a bit nasty.
