My every day dishes are the Autumn Leaf pattern by Franciscan by Glading, McBean & Co. And if you’ve seen my food photos, like this odd pairing of kiwi and pizza (what was I thinking?) you’ve seen my dishes!
The Autumn Leaf pattern was made in the mid-’50s, and they’ve held up very well. (Yes, I put them in the dishwasher.) I have dozens of the bowls and smaller plates and enough dinner plates for a large sit down meal. But there are pieces I never get down from the cupboard, like the matching mugs, which I paid $35-50 each.
Lusting after dishware is a genetic thing for me. My mom had special bowls for fish soup, and special plates for eating steamed artichokes. So you’ll understand when I occasionally indulge in some online dishware porn – fancy china, crystal, and dinnerware.
The Martha Stewart in me comes out for a second until I realize how much good dishes cost. But that’s o.k. because it makes me feel less guilty about buying that $50 Autumn Leaf Teapot a few years back.
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I lust after everyday dishwear. My dishes are nice (they are paltzgraf), but I would love some new ones.
Some people buy shoes, some people buy plates. Everyone is allowed their vices.
Of course, some of us buy both. Oh dear!
I am an only child and have no first cousins, so I have fine china and sterling to feed a crowd. For everyday dishes, I used to have plain white — Holiday (a seconds line from Arabia), six heftier bistro-weight dinner plates from IDG and misc plain white garage sale dishes, plus blue-rimmed small soup bowls and large patterned ones from a Peppercorn warehouse sale.
A few years ago, my busband bought me a surprise Christmas gift: everyday service for eight (dinner plates, soup plates, bread plates, cups, saucers and a sugar/creamer set) from Villeroy & Boch in a pattern that probably isn’t made anymore. The center is white, the rim is yellow and simple little orange, red, blue and green rectangles along the rim coordinate with a variety of placemats and tablecloths. It is so unlike him to select something like that — and I was surprised and touched. We do use them every evening when we eat at home.
Claire @ http://culinary-colorado.blogspot.com