What is a Lazy Susan and Why Do You Need One?

If you love a domestic mystery, consider the case of the Lazy Susan. This humble household helper has slogged through centuries essentially unchanged. Despite its enduring popularity, definitive documentation on the design’s origins remains oddly elusive. Logic dictates that some time long ago, a sloth named Susan inspired the entire galaxy of twirling servers. Who was she? And who invented the turntable trays that link her forever with an insulting adjective?

Americans tend to think Lazy Susans are kitschy relics of the 1950s and 1960s, but the lineage turns out to be longer and more distinguished. Historians can trace the concept to 18th century England, when it was probably known as a dumbwaiter. It may have become popular at a time when household servants were in declining supply. In the absence of maids or footmen to refill wine goblets and deliver condiments, diners were forced to reach across the table or interrupt conversation with “pass the pimientos please.”

The Lazy Susan helped to solve that problem, and plenty of 18th century examples prove it. In January, a mahogany Lazy Susan — 16 inches in diameter and dated circa 1780 — sold at Christie’s auction house in London for about $3,900.

One of the earliest print references to “Lazy Susan” took place in the December 1917 when Vanity Fair magazine describes a mahogany model, 16 inches in diameter, which revolves on ball bearings. The text, provided by Vanity Fair librarian Cynthia Cathcart, reads in part: “$8.50 … an impossibly low wage for a good servant” and refers to the Lazy Susan as “the cleverest waitress in the world.”

It’s more popular now than ever. Yet no matter how long or how hard the Lazy Susan works, people rarely notice. They’re more interested in what’s on it. This dazzling French Bull Ziggy Lazy Susan that you can find in Tanager Housewares is sure to turn heads at a party! It comes with a rubber non slip base and a scratch/shatter-resistant surface that is non-absorbent and BPA-free.

Tanager Housewares is located at 2156 Huntington Drive in San Marino. Call (626) 284-8154 or visit the online store at www.tanagerhousewares.co. Also use the “20% discount coupon code”: 20NOW4ME