We are a family of fancy dishes. Fancy not necessarily meaning dainty, expensive and fragile–although some are. But, fancy, referring to the eclectic and extensive collection of various plates, cups, sauces, bowls, serving dishes and silverwear that tumble out of overstuffed cabinets and shelves.
It started when my kids were quite little–babies and toddlers, in fact–and I discovered they were much more likely to not only eat, but to also try new and “weird” food if we made a little fuss and ceremony and ate on fancy dishes. We had tea parties, picnics, “box lunches”, buffets, and all sorts of playful and ceremonious variations of mealtime gatherings. The result is that they all developed a passion for food and meals, somehow learned manners without being hounded, and are opinionated fanciers of dishes.
In my own “home of origin,” we ate on very practical, unbreakable Pyrex with the liberal addition of Tupperware. The “good dishes” were saved for holidays and then promptly returned to their home in the “hutch”. How I ached to sip my milk from the sparkling cranberry glass goblets! So, as an adult, I started collecting dishes and actually using them–dainty teacups and saucers, a massive stemware army, serving platters, antique dish sets, hand painted bowls–the fact that I also started collecting children didn’t stop me from incorporating all those fun dishes into everyday life and my kids grew up with their own individual “favorites” and a preference for drinking orange juice from champagne flutes and cocoa from the elegant floral tea cups.
No one talks about the “good dishes” around here, everything is fair game whether it is used for a festive holiday buffet, or a midnight snack. The kids have learned what can and can’t go in the microwave and dishwasher, and how to gently wash the fragile pieces. Does that mean nothing ever gets broken? Well, no…or yes, things do get broken. But they are just dishes, and broken pieces mean room for more!
Most of our collection has come from estate sales, garage sales and thrift stores. Clearance shelves and close-out sales are another great source of fun pieces. I’m not looking for valuable antiques, but scouring instead for dishes that appeal to me in terms of how they look and feel. As I’ve built up a sizeable and interesting collection, mixing and matching for meals and occasions has become fun and creative. I do not worry about whether I have two dozen goblets that match (I don’t) or whether all my forks and spoons are from the same pattern (they aren’t)–the abundance of lovely, interesting, and well-loved dishes makes us all feel absolutely spoiled and wealthy–even if we’re just eating grilled cheese on a busy Wednesday night!