24 Sep The Lazy Susan is a Florist’s Fabulous Franny!
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that the Lazy Susan is actually…well…helpful. For this reason, in my opinion, (back in the day when it was first invented), it should have been named Helpful Hannah, or I Can Do It Ivan, or even Twirly Susan. But…Lazy Susan?? I think we can all agree the thing itself is not lazy. It works for us…it actually does manual labor. Oh right, the name refers to us…the lazy ones who use this item to cheat on our tasks. As you can see in the short video montage above, I use a lazy Susan a lot when I’m making my flower arrangements. Every time I use it, I wonder about its funny name and decided to investigate and see where the heck it came from.
According to Wikipedia, “It is likely that the explanation of the term lazy Susan has been lost to history”. It’s been said that in the 18th century, Thomas Jefferson used the name lazy Susan in reference to his sluggish daughter who tired of being served last at the dining table. (It’s interesting to point out that Jefferson’s daughter was not actually named Susan). Thomas Edison is also mentioned as a possible candidate for coming up with the name as an evolution of the turntable he used for his phonograph invention. Alongside these two unproven theories, some believe the name was a sort of slang term for lazy housemaids in 18th century England. In keeping with English tradition at the time, attaching a name in a generic way was quite common. Black-eyed Susan, peeping Tom, Jim dandy, and Jolly Roger were just a few more of these such names.
It is also interesting to point out that the lazy Susan has been shown to be a derivative of the other, perhaps equally offensively named, dumbwaiter, that served the same purpose of replacing the costly hired help.
I’m kind of surprised these names still exist! At any rate, I’m going to keep using my lazy Susan as suggested by my dad, as it is super helpful when turning my arrangements 500 times! It allows me to smoothly see my flowers at all angles, from all sides. I’m sure so many florists love using this cool invention in their shops. Not only do I use this for my business, I have like 10 of them in my household. I use a couple in my pantry- one for my vitamins and supplements, one for all my tea, coffee, conditments etc. It’s perfect for deep shelves, people! I also use one in my bathroom cabinet for my toothpaste and all things teeth, and another one for my face/makeup stuff. I have one in my fridge which is amazing!
I mean your life will be smoother, more organized, and easier with this helpful Hannah…this beneficial Betty…this aiding Adam!! You can reach the crap in the back, people! It gives you access to it all! No more wondering what is lost in the far-off places of your shelves!
There are always many great lazy Susan’s for cheap prices at Home Goods. I saw these super cute wood ones (above) online:
Prep Obsessed Beaded Lazy Susan
Not only do I use a lazy Susan for making my flower arrangements, I literally have one on my dining table at all times. When I have flowers on there (which is most of the time) it’s easy to display the ever-changing “best side”!
Catherine
Posted at 08:56h, 29 SeptemberHi Debs, I did enjoy your lazy Susan and don’t forget father knows best. I couldn’t get the video to work but I’ll try again. 💖☺