"Mark Thorson" <nospam@sonic.net> wrote in message
news:4B118C35.E89379C6@sonic.net...
> Mark Thorson wrote:
>>
>> http://cgi.ebay.com/_W0QQitemZ250537511696
>>
>> It looks like a combination of bread box,
>> bread board, and grater, for someone who
>> really likes grated cheese (or something)
>> on their bread. Any better guesses?
>
> After more study, I think that's wrong.
> The box appears to be for receiving the
> grated material. My current theory is that
> it's a portable grater, to simplify keeping
> the gratings together and free of contaminants,
> for example if making grated cheese for
> pizza or enchiladas while away from a kitchen.
>
> The decoration looks somewhat Mexican to me.
> It might not be home-made, but perhaps made
> by a local craftsman in Mexico.

It looks to be a 1950's-60's American-made decorative box covering a
readily available retail (ecko) grater. "Toleware " does not describe the
decoration, and it doesn't look Mexican at all, rather PA Dutch. It looks
like an East Coast high-school woodshop project that was never actually used
to grate anything, and was made for strictly decorative purposes. The drawer
does not appear moveable. There is no apparent wear on the wood, and there
is dust on the shoulders under the handle, indicating that it was hung on a
wall somewhere for a time.
A housewife of the era would have found this object of very little use, as
grating food over a bowl would have been more efficient than grating food
into a drawer.

Why would one grate cheese for pizza or enchiladas away from a kitchen?
These dishes were unheard of when this object was created, anyway.