TEFL Mystery #2: What’s That Thing?

One of the neat things about teaching abroad is that you get to live abroad…and if you’re fortunate enough to get a furnished flat, it will have all sorts of neat and funky stuff in it.

Sometimes though, you will be stumped not only with the “why” (…would anyone in a one-bedroom flat need five armoires or green carpet in the kitchen?) but with the “how”: how do you use this thing? What is it?

Exactly my question about the thing featured in this picture. It remained unused for the first few months, then I bought some hand towels for my kitchen and started using it to hang those, despite feeling this wasn’t the intended use. Imagine my surprise when my cousin came to visit and exclaimed “Oh, you have one of those?!” Not only had she figured out the intended use, but she seemed to have seen one before and admired it.

So: can you guess what this thing is for or come up with a creative use for it? It is a bit larger than an A4 or 8.5×11 paper. Leave me a comment if you can!

Now that I know what it is, I admit it does seem rather obvious. But I suppose, given the orignal sparse nature of kitchen furnishings, it is a bit out of place. In a week, I’ll post the answer. Also, leave me your vote on this poll.

Like voting? Check out the poll for TEFL Mystery #1: Food Coupons.