New Dishes!

I grew up in a home without any tradition in china. We had a cherished walnut case of silverware (and I have it today without any idea of what to do with it, gaudy, tarnished...), but no plates of distinction.

When it came time to buy plates and bowls for myself, I was fortunate enough to live in central Kentucky where there is an establishment of note: The Dish Barn! It is a Mecca for all who love dinnerware, ceramics, and even concrete statuary. It's a place that is humble, huge, and cheap! So to The Dish Barn I went and bought my first set of dishes. All very common, very solid; like the sort you find in a diner, or local restaurant where the plates are substantial and unadorned. They've been good to me, though a setting of 8 has dwindled through common attrition and banal accidents over the years.

So it happened that today I made an executive decision to buy new. And new that is nothing like the old: if you're gonna change something, make it mean something. My inspiration was a sales advert from Pier One, my resolution was a set of dish ware nothing like the one advertised. The one advertised in reality wasn't very inspiring. The one I chose reminds me of wonderful times spent in Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. The joy of life and the central role that food plays in fellowship and community. How happy to eat on such plates!