My favorite, only when listening to Italian operas, is to use 4 empty Chianti bottles as legs, and weave a hammock-style platform of "al dente" linguine(boiled 5-6 minutes), and use that as the base under my player. It imparts just the right amount of "mediterranean flair" to my sonics for that type of music. However, it is totally unsuitable for Wagner, and I must change it to the Braunschweiger pedestals with woven sauerkraut platform before I put on any Wagner. I've tried cooking the Sauerkraut and the Braunschweiger in Beck's Oktoberfest Bier for effect(before assembly), and I do like that sound, when in it is in season for Oktoberfest Bier.
You guys really must try "indiginous" materials under your players for your various ethnic music style listening. For example, I played some mariachi music yesterday, and found that placing a pair of "exact replicas" of Pancho Villa's pistols under the player, brought out alot of previously missing dynamics.
As always, YMMV.