How To Make: A Foil Swan for Left Over Food

Image: Foil Swan for Left Over Food by S. Hensley. Copyrite Orsons Retro

A retro entertainers favorite as well as a staple of the restaurant industry the take home dove or swan take away container for leftovers is a must know for all who wish to make an elegant and fun statement at their next get-together

 Popularised in the Seinfeld episode #75 The Conversation the foil swan has been around since the 1970's.  Fine eating establishments in New York such as The Four Seasons and upmarket french restaurants would fashion a foil dove for patrons who dared asked to take any left overs from their meal home.  

  How to Make a Foil Swan for Left Overs

Step 1

Wrap the leftover food into individual portions per person taking leftovers. Just wrap tightly in a tin foil (alfoil) ball shape or in the shape that best preserves the foods shape but made ball/or rectangular like.

Step 2

Tear off a 30 cm sheet of foil.  (or bigger if you need)  Place food parcel in the middle.  Bring both ends together i.e- fold the paper in half over the food, length ways.

Step 3

Pince the ends of the foil tightly around the edge of the parcel at either end, some foil may extend straight over the top of the food parcel.  Flatten or roll this down tight. Think of one end as the tail of the swan so clamp tightly directly near the parcel then allowed to fan out.  The other end is the long pinched in neck.  So fasten tightly at the end of the food and keep sculpting and pressing a vertical, upright neck shape.  At the very tip spike a small beak.

Hints: A shorter neck creates a foil dove parcel.  Practice makes perfect!  The first few times I tried this it looked more like a tin foil turkey parcel but that could work sometimes.  

The true role of the foil dove was to make the act of taking home left overs (a hotly debated topic of etiquette for many decades especially during the nineteenth century.  It was eventually deemed an acceptable practice by agony aunts and self proclaimed 'manners' experts though may be on the way out in restaurants as food safety laws get more stringent on what is allowable food safety practice.  Many restaurants do not allow doggy bags anymore.) a little more special.  Taking home a little of the magic so to speak of an enjoyable occasion.  What better to present your guests with at your next event than a little magic to take home.