Is the blintz too simple to spin a story around?
Certainly not. In 1934, Clausen, Rasmussen and Rasmussen1 named each step as they explained the blintz. (Find more information about this book at the end of the article.)
As I read their explanation of the blintz and their names for the steps, the first snow of winter was falling outside. All this blended together and inspired me to tell the story below. As always with storytelling, you may further elaborate with all the bells and whistles you like.
The Leaf in the Garden
An origami story spun over the blintz base, which is the result of simply folding the four corners of the paper to the center.
I was sitting inside, reading an old BOOK.”
Finally, I closed the envelope and put it in the MAIL.”
Notes on the “Textbook on Danish School Crafts” and Its Instructions for the Salt Cellar
The book has four main sections. The first is an introduction about culture. It covers Aksel Mikkelsen (a main actor in Danish school pedagogy, 1849-1929), Friedrich Fröbel, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and other child development philosophers; children; correct working posture; and an amazing amount about sand, including a photo of a sandman, who drove around the city with a wagon full of sand.
The three central sections cover the crafts of clay, paper and string. An additional two small sections concern bast-fiber and wicker weaving.
We are mostly interested in the largest section, the 146-page papercraft section, of which a whopping 83 pages are about paper folding. Meticulous drawings, photos and step-by-step instructions show us how to fold the models. Likewise, the best paper is suggested. Unfortunately, the layout is not really pedagogical, and the detail level is uneven. See, for example, the instructions for folding a salt cellar below. The drawings are OK, even if they do not conform to modern symbol standards. But they are not attached to the text, and the next steps are reduced to a single picture (Fig. 159) — where the reader must realize that it shows a back view of the second blintz — and a photo of the finished model.
Endnote
1. G. F. Krog Clausen, Th. Rasmussen and R. C. Rasmussen, Lærebog i dansk Skolesløjd. Smaasløjdsystemet til Brug ved Undervisning og Selvarbejde (Textbook on Danish School Crafts. The Small Crafts System for Use at Teaching and Self Practice. With 714 Informative Text Images), (Copenhagen, Dansk Sløjdlærerskole [Danish School of Teaching Crafts], 1934). [back]
Other Articles in This Series
“The Complete Blintz Part 1: The Yakko”
“The Complete Blintz Part 2: History of the Blintz”