Lazy Susan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section does not cite its references or sources.
You can help Wikipedia by introducing appropriate citations.

Lazy Susan on a Chinese style table.

A lazy Susan is a rotating tray placed on top of a table to aid in moving food on a large table or counter tops. They come in many sizes and shapes, but are usually circular. They may be made of glass, wood, or plastic. They are often found in Chinese restaurants with a large table.

A corner cabinet on which the shelves are mounted on a vertical axle such that items may be retrieved by pushing on the shelves to turn them may also be called a lazy Susan. This type is usually found in kitchens. Closed, this type of lazy Susan appears to be two normal cabinets at right angles to each other. When pushed on, the cabinet "doors" reveal the shelves, which are circular except for the ninety degree cutout where the doors are mounted.

Thomas Jefferson is often attributed as the inventor of the lazy Susan in the 1700s. The term "lazy Susan" made its first written appearance in a Vanity Fair advertisement for a "Revolving Server or Lazy Susan" in 1917. Prior to that time they were called dumbwaiters.

[edit] Origin

Thomas Jefferson is reputed to have invented the Lazy Susan, which has been in popular use since the 18th Century ^{[citation needed]}. Inventor Gail Borden Jr. is also commonly said to have invented it ^[1]. Lazy Susans were originally known as dumbwaiters, although the name 'Lazy Susan' replaced this term in the 20th Century, though no earlier than 1917 ^{[citation needed]}. In many parts of the world including Britain, the term "dumb waiter" nowadays means something completely different: a lift or elevator for transporting items such as food and plates between floors of a house, usually from a kitchen to a dining room.

The name Lazy Susan is sometimes thought to have originated from a lazy house servant named Susan. This theory however, has little standing as house servants were uncommon by the time the term was used ^{[citation needed]}. A more rational explanation is that the term Lazy Susan has a more rhythmic appeal, and so made marketing the product easier ^{[citation needed]}^{[original research?]}. It is also speculated that the house servant story was concocted by the same marketeers ^{[citation needed]}.

Another theory of the origin of the name Lazy Susan is that the device was named after Jefferson's daughter Susan, for whom he designed the Lazy Susan ^{[citation needed]}. Jefferson had designed it after Susan had complained that she was usually served last and left the table hungry ^{[citation needed]}.

Thomas Edison is another reputed inventor of the Lazy Susan ^{[citation needed]}. He is said to have invented the Lazy Susan, or turntable, for use in his phonograph ^{[citation needed]}. The origin of the name Susan also stems from his daughter ^{[citation needed]}.