<P> There is a table arrangement used much in Germany, which has now found its way to America, though it is still by no means common . The German frau calls it "Lazy Susan", but it is entirely different from our product used for salt and pepper shakers . Its only point of similarity is the swivel upon which it turns . The one which joys my heart is of mahogany, and it turns automatically at the slightest touch . It contains seven china dishes, six of which are trapezoids, the center one being octagonal . The trapezoids fit about the center octagon, forming a perfect whole . </P> <P> By 1918, Century Magazine was already describing the Lazy Susan as out of fashion, but beginning in the 1950s its popularity soared once again after the redesign and reintroduction of the Lazy Susan by George Hall, an engineer, soy - sauce manufacturer, and partner in popular San Francisco - area Chinese restaurants (Johnny Kan's and Ming's of Palo Alto), and the rotating tray became ubiquitous in Chinese restaurants, and was used in homes around the globe . The decline in America's domestic service sector after World War I and its collapse following World War II, combined with the post-war Baby Boom, led to a great demand for them in US households across the country in the 1950s and' 60s . This popularity has had the effect, however, of making them seem kitsch in subsequent decades . </P> <P> A Lazy Susan may be employed as a cake turntable for cake decorating . </P> <P> Smaller Lazy Susans are used for spice racks and rotating TV or monitor platforms . </P>

Where did the word lazy susan come from