The Pleated Sheath

Appears in
An American Taste of Japan

By Elizabeth Andoh

Published 1985

  • About

For a pleated sheath, begin with a rectangle. Fold down corner 1. Fold corner 1 back on itself.

Bring corner 3 up and crease. Fold corner 3 back on itself.

Bring corner 3 up again to pleat. Flip corner 4 under and fold. Tie with a decorative knot (optional).

These sheaths make neat, attractive packages at a buffet table, eliminating the juggling of many utensils at once. The sheaths also make an elegant, decorative contribution to a formal sit-down meal. A sheath made of paper can double as a placecard with your guest’s name written on it (a simply folded napkin could rest beneath the paper sheath). In Japan, the eating ends of the chopsticks always point to the left, are aligned in parallel, and are placed down front from your plate or tray. For flatware, I think it might be best to have the eating end (i.e., the tines of the fork, the bowl of the spoon, and the blade of the knife) sticking out of your sheaths and pointing away from the diner. Your sheaths can be folded to lie flat, or tied with any of the beguiling ties below: