Before allowing that tendril of delicately battered calamari to hit the tongue, a diner should first admire the artistic manner in which the tempura was arranged upon the gold-flecked Japanese paper lining its woven bamboo dish.

BBC: Kaiseki-ryori: Japanese haute cuisine

It's used in everything from the lining of metal soup cans to receipt paper.

WSJ: Is It Safe to Heat Food in Plastic?

For our particular search, Yang pulled about eight fragrances she thought I might like, lining them on a wooden table with long paper blotters and deliberately refraining from describing which notes each perfume contains.

FORBES: Want To Change Your Life? Change Your Scent