apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Look up wicker or rattan food covers and you'll find some interesting results with a more natural feel than these.

Enthralled? Really? I hate to always come off as a jerk, but the over-the-top journalism on everyday objects makes me think its all just a bunch of advertisement.

You might use them for about 2 seconds until everyone gets food on their plates. They're pretty more than anything.

I prefer the ones that can fold up, otherwise they are a big pain to have lying around, even stacked up. And when I see them, I automatically think, oh dear, flies or mosquitoes, 2 things I hate when eating outside!

my husband and i use our balcony as the place to eat dinner because we don't have a proper table inside. we bought a small wooden table and two chairs at ikea, which is just large enough for us. depending on what we are eating, we tend to go "family-style" and have a plate or a couple small bowls of food for us to pick off of and put on our own plate. i have seen these at many stores, cost plus world market, pier 1, home goods, etc and could use one to cover the stuff we aren't currently eating. especially because we like to linger at our table and converse which is difficult when bugs are attracted to the food that is sitting there. we don't have the issue with the food on our individual plates--more on the one we pick off of after we have finished our first serving.

ive seen these used in many asian homes

these look kind of interesting as a potential alternative shade (instead of paper lanterns) for my Regloit lamp - I have a question answered today on AT Boston:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/boston/good-questions/good-questions-better-shade-for-ikea-regolit-lamp-087834

Question being: would there be an easy way to DIY the Regolit lamp fixture to work with this kind of food tent as a shade?

And, would this food tent be safe to use as a lampshade (or would it catch fire)?

These are not uncommon. I just saw "food tents" at Target today. I also have to agree with Classic CC-40's comment above.

But microwave plate covers, which are similar, are enthralling--at least to me. I love the design of these, but am looking for some that you can use in the microwave to avoid splatter. My husband doesn't believe in saran wrap and it's such a pain to clean. Are there any well-designed microwavable splatter covers?

These are necessary in developing countries. I've never eaten a meal in Haiti without my food being covered with a plastic dome.

i was JUST looking at these a few days ago because my fruit bowl is just way too attractive for the flies and i can't stand certain fruits cold.

so...yeah. but this thing would take up so much space for just a few months out of the year of being needed...

Dollar Tree has these for a buck.

99 Ranch ^o^

There are a lot of variations of this design. Living in Florida, this is a kitchen staple we have all used for years.

I find myself curiously... enthralled...

My grandma used them at BBQs when I was a kid... didn't realize they were novel. But they are a good idea to keep flies off!

Last summer got one at Home Goods, that same turquoise color, very Bohemian looking, tho, with a unique shape decorated w/beads dangling....Mostly use it when I'm grilling, to cover things when I'm going in/out. Love it and everyone covets it.

@mfpants: true, we've been using them in india for ages.

When I was a kid I had one that folded up like an umbrella. I wasn't as interested in the fly-exclusion properties as in the folding; it was a really fun toy :-P

Okay, lets do this thing right and do a mini round up. I'm living in a "developing nation" and food covers are a must. The battle against the ants is unending, but at least this way I can keep the flies down.

Kicking it off, the classic food cover you can buy from pretty much anywhere: http://www.alacook.co.uk/item--Nylon-Umbrella-Food-Cover--KCCOVER30.html

It becomes cuter when you perform a quick DIY: http://www.allaboutyou.com/craft/decorate-food-cover/v1

These camping style food covers fold flat, though stylistically they leave me cold: http://www.improvementscatalog.com/product/pop-up-food-covers.do

These ones have enough style for an entire apartment though: http://athome.kimvallee.com/2008/07/summer-bamboo-food-cover-at-graham-and-green/

And I'll end with my very favorite, the kind like bassinets: http://www.balifurnish.com/handweaved-bamboo-food-cover-bali-indonesia.html

Enjoy, and remember, you're lucky these aren't a part of your everyday life.

They have them at IKEA too. This year's colours are different than last year.

I saw them at Target the other day! They have some great retro serving wares right now. I'm eyeing this really cute ice bucket.

Very common in Australia- well when I was growing up anyway. Protected many a cake at a picnic/outdoor party. Also good for protecting food indoors during summer if you have windows/doors open and don't have flyscreens.