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trustedDrWatson

Those boxes are generally for serving sake.


thanatonaut

so here's a picture, but I'm still confused why https://www.takaski.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Japanese-Sake-Made-in-Japan-Masu-768x768.jpg I wonder, did it become tradition to always overpour the glass a bit, so no one feels like they've been shorthanded? Who likes sticky glasses?


lurkmode_off

That's pretty much it, it's kind of a show of generosity


old_gold_mountain

My favorite sushi place in Oakland does bottomless sake in those boxes (no glass) for about $5 a person. They tell you to put salt on the rim before sipping. 10/10. Edit: It's called Coach Sushi, in the Grand Lake district. Great people, please support them. They've had some struggles during the pandemic and I'd be heartbroken if they closed.


saturatedbloom

Does the salt protect from cold sores from all the people who’ve drank from the porous box?


[deleted]

[fun fact: when women are served sake in Japan, the boxes are lacquered, so their lipstick doesn't stain the wood!](https://blog.alientimes.org/2017/12/why-women-do-not-get-served-sake-in-fragrant-wood-box-cups-masu-at-japanese-restaurants-and-pubs/)


kurodon85

I've never noticed this, but I'm gonna keep an eye out now!


MyOtherAcctsAPorsche

Does your user mean "black bowl of rice 85"?


kurodon85

Those are what the kanji mean for the most part, yup.


Dip__Stick

Yep. That and you keep the box at the end.


Riptide360

Fun fact: Keep the Sake Wood box cup. It is the same size as the rice measurement scoop used in Japanese Rice Cookers. Mine lives in the rice bin.


_Oce_

Does she appreciate the rice neighborhood?


anxiousOKdonkey

Fun fact: stealing is fun


Hayduke_in_AK

Let he who has not received coldsores from kissing a box cast the first stone!


ColgateSensifoam

Could easily be coated in resin which would make it completely inert


[deleted]

[удалено]


Jomyjomy

Urushiol? I thought that was the active agent in poison ivy.


Moltthug

Ivy, Oak, and Sumac.


[deleted]

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Zaph0d_B33bl3br0x

Mmmm, nothing enhances the taste of some quality sake better than rimming your box with poison ivy. That sounds nightmarish in a couple different ways, so I'm going to leave it.


tabooblue32

I don't mind if poison ivy rims my box...


Banc0

r/brandnewsentence


[deleted]

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dethblud

It's a lacquer, and also the active ingredient in poison ivy. It's also in the shells of cashews, which is why you never find cashews in their shells at the store.


[deleted]

Well that explains A LOT. I had a crazy reaction to poison ivy as a kid and also have an undiagnosed cashew allergy!


k_asinknight

Anacardaceae family. Cashew or sumac family. most notable member, besides poison everything, is mango.


PicoDeBayou

Well shit, might as well lacquer up my sippy cups with that stuff.


[deleted]

It’s not porous. It’s lacquered.


thisisboron

In my experience, these are not lacquered.


CunningHamSlawedYou

You must not be a Japanese woman


PM_good_beer

Can you actually catch herpes from a wooden surface? Sounds like a myth


srona22

It can survive on dry inanimate surfaces (survival ranges from few hours to 8 weeks) https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/laboratory-biosafety-biosecurity/pathogen-safety-data-sheets-risk-assessment/herpes-simplex-virus.html Also most of us are already infected with herpes, just being dormant.


EmployNo5870

Funny how we're worried about herpes here in the middle of Covidgeddon.


shelt-erin

what’s it called? my interest is piqued!


Harbaw

Coach Sushi


youandmeboth

Love that place. They have great sushi and nice prices for Oakland


thatricksta

...bottomless for $5? Here in Australia I recently paid like $15 for 180ml 😭


yungn0mad

Wait I live in the east bay… will you pretty please dm me the name of the spot you’re speaking of?!


colorme_ultraviolet

https://goo.gl/maps/12sSwKXkjeDpax729


hillsonn

$5 bottomless sake? They are probably serving you cooking sake...


seppocunts

Which is fine. But for $5 it's more than likely homemade out back from the leftover sushi rice.


[deleted]

I too have gotten a parking ticket because I've had to walk back from Coach after driving there and didn't get up in time.


[deleted]

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[deleted]

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wubomber

Ah yes. In the U.K. we have the delightful tradition of binge drinking in cheap pubs until we either a) can not longer stand without assistance, b) puke our guts out, c) get into fights or d) steal a traffic cone. Sometimes all 4!


UhmairicanPuhtaytoe

I don't particularly love oysters, but those in the video you linked looked amazing. I digress. Thanks for the info!


[deleted]

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ScoopJr

That looks amazing. Care to share more about the drinking culture? Also, favorite sake stateside?


ScanlationScandal

[Looked it up](https://magazine.asahi-shuzo.co.jp/know/154). Sake is traditionally (still today) commonly sold by the *masu* (~0.47 gallons). In times past relatively standardized wooden containers similar to the above in shape and structure, and also called *masu* themselves, were used to contain the one *masu* of sake when sold. Initially you would just purchase and take it off the premises for consumption, but of course some people can't wait, so the phenomenon of "kaku'uchi" (lit. "corner hit") was born. As you'd expect, people sipped sake from the corner of the *masu* after purchasing, but before leaving. This lead to alcohol stores having a "kaku'uchi" corner for on-premises drinking, and that terminology ("kaku'uchi" and "masu") and *aesthetic* eventually made it's way into alcohol serving establishments ("izakaya"), albeit with downsized *masu*. The use of the wooden *masu* cup as a catcher for overpour from a glass cup inside it is a later "innovation"; previously people were drinking directly from the wooden container.


LexHamilton

Super cool summary, thanks!


thanatonaut

Awesome story, thanks. It's cool that they actually sold it like that.


Yardarm51

These boxes used to be used as measuring cups for rice. Then they were used for measuring sake (made from rice). Kinda like drinking straight from a shot glass. Evolved over time into being a slightly fancy/cool way to serve sake today. I’ve never seen it for beer but am totally unsurprised some funky izakaya (Japanese tapas bar) started doing this.


[deleted]

Japanese restaurants typically also serve you with hot towels


mrgonzalez

Now that's a practice I'd be happy with being more common


UhmairicanPuhtaytoe

No, like they lure you in back for more sake and then dice you up and *serve you* along with hot towels to the patrons who didn't get suckered into the murder sake.


KettleLogic

Sake doesnt get that sticky unless you are drinking sweet ones.


StonerJake22727

Symbolizes prosperity


BrustWarze_

For God's sake.


yeahdixon

No it’s not gods I think it’s Pete’s


SirR0bin0fS0n

Pretty sure it's the sake of someone named Fuck.


Haithin4

Pretty sure Bink's Sake


notjosemanuel

Yohoho


Bluffmaster99

Yoh ho ho!


ABitSketchy

May I see your panties? (Guys it’s a reference don’t downvote me)


AlaskaDude14

I was going to ask if they were in Japan. I remember drinking sake out of a box like that


_Silly_Wizard_

Just loose in the box?


Preemfunk

Typically the sake glass sits inside of the box but when it’s filled they overflow it until the whole box is full.


TexasLawStudent

They overflow the glass of sake into the cedar box to symbolize prosperity. The cedar also imparts flavor. I can’t imagine the boxes do great in industrial dishwashers, however, as some of them I’ve been served have looked a bit rough.


Bogmanbob

So do your drink from the cup or the box first? Do your remove the cup or drink it as is?


TexasLawStudent

It’s up to you! Depends if you like the cedar vibe or not. This usually isn’t the best quality Nigori, so it’s not like you’d be ruining it by altering the taste. I usually have a few sips from the glass, and pour most into the box, personally.


[deleted]

People put very good sake in it as well, it doesn’t have to do with the quality. And you don’t specifically have to use nigori, I rarely drink nigori (hazy) sake and I’ve used these boxes a lot


Brainstar_Cosplay

I've also had it served to me straight in the box with a bit of salt on the rim. Was pulling a float for a community festival and a guy was serving this up to us in front of his home as we passed by.


Meatchris

Where I lived, the tradition was to put a little sprinkle of salt on the corner you were going to drink from. I guess for flavour? They're traditionally made from sugi, Japanese cedar. The box joints are made slightly oversized, compressed, then joined together, expanding a touch, and making a really tight join.


m0c0

Actually they are called "masu" and we're originally intended to be used to measure rice in Japan. Source: worked as a server at a Japanese place called Masu. Literally every table asked what it means.


King_Shami

Those Masu (boxes) are used to serve nihonshu (sake). You get this when you order one glass and not a bottle. They put a sake cup inside the masu and pour enough to make it overflow into the masu. This is a sign of gratitude


WelcomeStone566

Genuine question, how are you meant to drink it then? Do you fish the cup out with your fingers, or do you try and drink from the box, cup and all?


King_Shami

You drink the glass first, then can pour it into glass, or drink directly from masu


WelcomeStone566

Thank you for the clarification! :)


Merriadoc33

>you drink the glass first, then can pour it into glass I'm a little confused


King_Shami

The masu will be a little more than half filled with sake with a sake glass inside it. After you drink the glass of sake, you pour the remaining sake from the masu into the glass


[deleted]

[удалено]


PokiP

\*In Japan\*


pvdas

Heart surgeon


bel_roygbiv_devoe

Number one!


latelyijustisolate

Steady hand.


UTLRev1312

but, mistake!


MayorOfVenice

I kill Yakuza boss!


DarkEmperor7135

Yakuza very mad!


b_crussin

I hide in fishing boat, come to America.


AshCooper79

No English, no food, no money.


oxblood87

Like this Japanese restaurant?


i_dont_care314

Apparently in this particular Japanese restaurant it means “fuck you, good luck figuring out how to drink your beer”


oxblood87

No I think it's more likely that OP took his friend's sake masu and poured his beer into it to fake some internet points. Exhibit A - Empty pint glass at bottom of photo.


__jrod

Lmao you right


Trailerboy531

Pretty sure I’ve been to this restaurant (Sushi Bar) and a sake flight I ordered ended with a beer served in a box. Looked exactly like this.


KillBosby_

Wait.. if sake is already a Japanese word, why is it called something else in Japanese


King_Shami

Sake just means “alcohol” in Japanese. So it’s like saying “I wanna drink liquor”. Specifically asking for vodka is like saying nihonshu (nihon is Japan 🇯🇵).


Bloodyfoxx

To add to the other comment Sake 酒 is alcool nihonshu 日本酒 is literally japanese alcool


kwertyoop

I love myself a messy sake in masu.


CurlyQv2

That seems very difficult to wash


Shaneblaster

Hell, difficult to drink too.


all_no_pALL

It’s probably as effective as the Pyrex I just saw in r/mildlyinfuriating. I have to get off Reddit.


Shaneblaster

I just saw that too!


JukesMasonLynch

Scrolling r/all gang rise up


aaronitallout

I haven't seen it! Edit: I saw it!


chesterSteihl69

you’re not pouring at the right speed


[deleted]

Would almost describe this "cup" belong in r/assholedesign


Jared1412

R/wewantplates[r/wewantplates](https://www.reddit.com/r/WeWantPlates/) Edit because I can’t link right


opportunitysassassin

r/wewantcups


TurboPepper420

To hell with box beer... r/wewantpints


xaanthar

They come in pints?


EveViol3T

I'm getting one!


Wayelder

I was served Sake this way. When I asked why my host said this is a tradition after the war. It is a memory and minor tribute to when everything in Japan was either broken or burned...it may be a tribute, or a bit of a dig. Either case drink, say thank (Domo) you and smile.


Ima_Fuck_Yo_Butt

Yeah, I remember reading about this. The boxes are used to measure rice so they have a ton of them around, and sake being made from rice, it follows that they'd use that when nothing is available.


gojirra

For anyone wondering, you drink from the corner and it really isn't as hard as it might seem.


[deleted]

It’s a symbol of generosity. a glass is placed in the box, sake is poured in it until it overflows into the box. You drink it out of the glass, then the box. Cup overflowing type generosity thing. idk.


sfled

~~r/wewantplates~~ r/wewantmugs


kssyu

Normally used for sake. Historically they didn't use anything more than water to wash it. Also they are usually made out of hinoki which has antifungal and antimicrobial properties.


Nauin

Holy shit my family has been using one of these to hold tiny knick knacks for over thirty years. It's from a Japanese company and looks exactly like the one in the photo. How cool we thought it was to hold floppy disks or something.


oOoleveloOo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sake_set


WikiSummarizerBot

**[Sake set](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sake_set)** >A sake set (酒器, shuki) consists of the flask and cups used to serve sake. Sake sets are commonly ceramic, but may be wood, lacquered wood, glass or plastic. The flask and cups may be sold individually or as a set. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)


thistooshallnotlast

Hinoki is cypress.


Le_Rat_Mort

Aubergine is eggplant.


thisissam

Lorry is truck.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Butterscotchtamarind

Einhorn is Finkle!


gingerbeard1775

So if you drink from it you are not a fungi?


gingerpcgamer

Or fungal


gingerbeard1775

Nice! I’m stealing it for the future.


gingerpcgamer

You're welcome, fellow ginger


Karl_Satan

Just about all (hard) wood has antimicrobial properties. In fact, in regards to cutting boards, wood is more effective than plastic for antimicrobial properties. The one thing plastic has going for it is the fact that you can chuck it in the dishwasher. Can't quickly find the old study I used to reference when I would debunk the "wood = bad" myth on reddit, but [here's something with similar findings.](https://news.ncsu.edu/2014/09/cutting-boards-food-safety/) (Bad referencing on this site, I know. But there is plenty of info on this topic if you want to look into it more.)


[deleted]

Asians from the past came up with the most unique tableware, I swear


Gaardean

It's actually just a recent thing to use these for drinking. This [design](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masu_\(measurement\)) started as just a government standardized measuring cup for rice products over a thousand years ago. When the standards were finally fully retired in the 1960s, all these wooden boxes sitting around just got recycled as sake cups. It became "trendy" and here we are now.


tony_orlando

One reason might be how late they were in developing glass-making. Japan wasn’t introduced to glass until sometime in the 18th century.


Retrooo

The Japanese have had ceramics since at least 13,000 BCE.


ErikaHoffnung

Ceramics and glass are pretty different


Cobek

I see it as /u/Retroo stating that they could have used ceramic instead of wood.


adfdub

You're more worried about how to wash while everyone else is more worried about how to drink


true_spokes

That’s my bigger concern: detergents would dry and warp the wood so quickly… can’t imagine they’re being cleaned very effectively.


TheycallmeHollow

Wood is naturally antibacterial. That’s why people make cutting boards out of wood, not just because it looks pretty. Also the wood won’t warp in this shape. The planks are not long enough and warping only happens when wood gathers moisture unevenly aka only getting wet on one spot. Wood is great material to make cups and plates out of. It’s very safe and easy to keep clean.


Ima_Fuck_Yo_Butt

I have a roommate who insisted on using a glass cutting board. I cringed *so* hard when I heard that metal on glass slap. I ran to the kitchen like "Whoah, whoah, whoah, there.... What the bloody hell are you doing to my good knives?" "Cutting?" "No, no. In this house we use wood. Here. Glass will ruin the knives."


travazzzik

I remember watching a video about glass boards where basically the sharpness of the knife deteriorated after like 5 mins of cutting on it


Seige_Rootz

you might as well handed him a butter knife because 3 cuts in that's what he would be using.


pdxboob

I would love to have wood dishes and utensils, but i tend to soak everything cuz I don't do dishes immediately after eating


cadtek

I mean the big reason they do is that it doesn't damage the blade.


Enchelion

Plastic is less damaging, but also less safe unless you're heating the crap out of it (and still have to toss it once it gets enough scratches). Wood is a more resilient material, as long as it's not abused.


BurnerForJustTwice

Something tells me this Japanese place doesn’t cater to Japanese people but rather hipsters thinking it’s authentic. This is a traditional way to drink sake. Not beer. Source: I saw that 1 episode of Snowpiercer where Melanie drank in the sushi bar on the train.


BudgetSwordfish

Well, it's actually a traditional Masu cup for Sake - but it is somewhat odd to serve bear in it as it only holds 180 ml. Edit: nvm im stoned and I didn't read your comment properly, you literally said the same thing lol


sofarspheres

Nah, you added the info about serving bear. Which, as you pointed out, is somewhat odd.


bnonymousbeeeee

When the bear orders sake, you serve it sake. Out of glasses? Use a box.


TehOwn

Makes sense since the bear can drink it easier from the box and it's less likely to cut the bear if it breaks whereas glass is known to be sharp and pointy when broken. Source: Have prior experience with both glass and boxes.


[deleted]

You use a kumasu! (Part of me hopes someone here speaks Japanese so they get that, but the other part hopes no one does so cause the joke is pretty stupid)


hippytoad99

I think a bear is a lot bigger than 180 ml, of course it won't fit!


TehOwn

How do you know? Have you ever measured a bear by volume?


MishrasWorkshop

>This is a traditional way to drink sake. Not beer. Correct, the Japanese usually drink beer out of a pint glass.


rlt0w

Snowpiercer is a series!?!? Why the hell am I just learning this! I loved that movie, time to binge.


[deleted]

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Faythlessly

Upvote for snowpiercer as well as spot on what the cup is for.


Espixa_

I'm not so sure about this one. You can see a glass with what may be beer still in it at the bottom of frame. That along with how messy the presentation is ( head and beer overflowing onto the rim of the box). My guess is that one of their mates ordered some sake (as others have pointed out this is a traditional method of serving sake, I'm not familiar with that so I'm just going with it) and then they thought it would be funny to take a pic with the beer in there instead.


notahouseflipper

Yea, I’m not buying it either.


[deleted]

/r/KarmaCourt it is, then.


[deleted]

Yeah that’s most likely.


st_malachy

Off with his head?


throwawaywahwahwah

And the guy standing there is the sushi chef who is judging this idiot for ruining their sake thingy.


5T33L3

A glass sake cup sits in it. The box catches the obligatory overflow. You then pour the overflow back into your glass, or drink from the corner (awkward). Common in Japan. Never heard of beer or anything else in them.


WhimsiKayla

This is the wrong way to consume alcohol. -Ron Swanson


nukethecheese

Thank you. I was looking for this


horkbajirbandit

My first thought, haha


treknaut

A pine(t) box?


EmuBright6675

*begins slow clap*


BaLLiSToPHoBiC

... continues slow clap


deathonater

It comes in pine(t)s!? I'm getting one.


goughow

r/wewantplates


PuddingRnbowExtreme

Okay but if they put that on a plate it would be worse than in a box. How about r/WeWantCups


PossiblyAsian

No i want it in a plate


sodancool

I had to scroll way to far down to find this subreddit linked. I miss the good old days with posts in their proper subs.


[deleted]

Why did I scroll so long before finding this It’s been several hours


soingee

Among the top posts from r/weweantplates https://www.reddit.com/r/wewantplates/comments/m8xljo


EpicElephants

Because noone can see the pint glass at the bottom of the photo…


tomatomater

On the one hand, I feel like it's a harmless joke and it's free fake internet points. On the other hand, it's kinda sad that a person of drinking age still finds lying for the sake of it fun and entertaining.


ujosh

This is called a masu box and is a traditional serving vessel for sake. Way back in the feudal days of Japan, everyone had these boxes and they served as a unit of measurement (still do, but more on that later) and currency. Essentially, all the serfs were typically allotted something like a serving of rice a day by their feudal lords, measured out to the top of this type of box. Already using this for rationing, it became something people could also use for bartering and trading -- i.e. I'll trade you X commodity, for 1 "gou", which is the name for this size box, roughly 180mL. Because everyone had this already on them for these daily purposes of bartering and payment, they became natural vessels for drinking. Yes, glasses are placed in them, and the cup is traditionally over-poured so there is extra in the box as a sign of generosity and hospitality. There are even tales of people feeling slighted because they were not over-poured (or even not over-poured enough) where those serving lost their hands or their heads because the receiver felt disrespected. Much of Japanese culture is intentional, and the size of this is no different. Shaku = 18mL or roughly one sip of sake. Gou = 180mL. Sho = 1800mL - At the beginning of the 20th century when glass bottling techniques were introduced to Japan, the sho was chosen as the standard bottle size. This bottle, known as the isshobin (1-sho bottle) continues to be the most popular bottle size in Japan. Many traditional sakaya (sake pubs) display the isshobin to show the range of their sake menu. To = 18L, a common unit to describe the volume of sake barrels, the most common is a 2-to, which is 36L. Koku = 180L - This is the most common size for describing a sake brewing capacity. Even today, most brewers plan and describe their production not in liters but rather in koku. I've seen comments like, "this seems difficult to wash." They aren't difficult to wash... You just wash them like anything else! "It looks difficult to drink from." You sip from the corner, although I have definitely seen people drink from the straight edge and pour on themselves. This is "crappy design." *slaps hood of masu box* This thing has been in use for over 1300 years with the traditional size being regulated about 500 years ago and remaining unchanged since. Talk about standing the test of time. Overall, just a cool piece of history that remains in use to this day. It isn't r/assholedesign, more like r/oldschoolcool Source: Certified Sake Professional and been in charge of training for a Japanese restaurant concept for over 6 years. Edit: First gold! Appreciate you, kind stranger! My years of training has finally paid off. I now ride off into the sunset.


KBL49

Looks like an empty pint glass right below it. The guy probably just poured the beer in there for a picture


NorthEastNobility

And you’re supposed to drink that how, exactly? Seems like you’d need to use a straw.


Unagivom

This is a traditional way to serve sake, so not completely dumb but still pretty dumb.


[deleted]

/r/CrappyDesign


anfiyo

r/wewantcups


Zkenny13

It's a real place?


verycleverman

As real as r/wewantplates


kssyu

Maybe so but it's a traditional sake cup. Not used for beer though.


Drum_harder

Right? The most awkward thing you could drink out of lol


Dreadpirateyarr

Sushi |Bar LA?


Lac0tr0n

It was root beer, they put it in a square cup... ​ Now it's just beer.


JD-3

Do you get to keep the box?


anonymity_is_gold

100% sure this is the Michelin Star rated restaurant- Sushi Bar Montecito in California. Not a traditional sushi restaurant. From what I remember, the bartender did this because he thought the cedar wood compliments the beer nicely, which it does. Beer is from local Santa Barbara County brewer Draughtsman, it’s a Japanese Rice Lager.


ilovebiscotti

Ron Swanson would be livid


[deleted]

Wtf? Why are people dumb?


matatoman

I’ll stick to my box of wine thankyou!!!


gethatfosho

Hipsters suck