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Do you buy a new set of dishes very often? How about silverware or flatware?...Do dishes and flatware and casserole dishes and table settings (in general) affect the way food tastes to you?...Are you fussy or relaxed when it comes to how your table "looks" at mealtimes?
same cobalt blue dishes since 2002. I got them in target. I have service for 8. I added a few dishes (white ones corelle) because I broke 2 blue dishes. I want to get either a new set of corelle or this set I saw online at williams and sonoma. Changed my flatware last year to a kind that's made here in America. Best set I ever bought. Some people have everyday flatware and dishes and then fancy flatware and fine china. Not me. I do have dishes though that have a Christmas pattern on them that my bought in CVS and I only use them during the month of december. I never registered for fine China when we got married. No need for it and I don't have the space to store them. I use the same casserole dishes since 2003. The only other thing I replaced was my cookware set. That was a gift this past Christmas. All of my other glassware is the same since 2003 with a few added peices. I set a nice table but it's casual and relaxed. I don't use a linen table cloth or napkins like my mom would.
My dishes/silverware are 20+ years old and still complete. I am not going to shop for a new set.
Yes, I like plain white china and good quality, heavy silverware. I want to focus on the food without too many distractions from embellishments on the dinnerware, because "busy" plates can just look messy, jumbled and unappetizing to me. I like to see the food presentation and nothing else.
The table where I eat has to be clean of clutter. The food presentation is important. Bland/brownish colors are not really appealing to me, but plate with colorful veggies or salad looks healthy and stimulate appetite. Even when I eat alone, I eat from china, and use silverware and glass, so I guess, I am fussy about what I eat and how. Eating engages all five senses; touch, sight, sound, taste and smell. I like to please all of them
I heard that particular colors can make you more or less hungry. Not necessary the plates, but also the kitchen/or dining room and the food.
I bought a new set of dishes last year. I was just walking through Dillards one day and they had all these pretty dishes marked down to something like $5 a plate, then they were having an additional discount on top of that, so I ended up paying something like $1.75 a plate. I bought service for 12 and all the serving pieces. I was just ready for a change I guess.
Before that I had been using the same set of dishes for 27 years. Basic white stoneware, service for 8. I also had a set of clear glass dishes that I bought a Bed Bath and Beyond about 13 years ago. I kind of mixed to 2 sets up. I had service for 14 in the glass. They were really cheap, like $1 a plate, so I bought it for using when my bunco group played at my house and things like that. I divided all that up and gave it to my kids when they got their own apartments in college. I just boxed my white stoneware up and put it in the attic.
When we got married we bought a set of cheap silver plate flatware. It served us well for many years, but was starting to get pretty worn. One night about 10 years ago I was gone somewhere and my hubby was home watching TV and the kids (in that order). When I got home he told me he'd been watching QVC and had ordered a set of stainless. I don't remember what brand they are, but they are really nice.
Bought my Corelle dinnerware set in 1993. Haven't broken any pieces yet. Added a few plates and a platter about five years ago.
I think I've bought 2 sets of silverware in that same time frame. I stopped using the first set when I decided I didn't like the handles any longer. They were too ornate and not so easy to handle.
I like the look of my dishes so I have no interest in buying a different set anytime soon.
As far as do I set a pretty table or care how it looks, no, I don't. Whatever I have that enables me to eat my food so it doesn't get cold and whatever is easiest to clean up. Those are my deciding factors.
The first Christmas after my husband passed-away (in 2010) my son and I felt "lost." We needed "something" to represent that we had the "will" to keep on "going." Anyway we decided to buy ourselves a new set of dishes. (My son came over for dinner most every night and helped me cope with the loss of my husband. Bless his heart!)...We decided on a set from "Thomson Pottery." (A 4-piece place setting.)...It's not like the sets we bought in the past. The plates have somewhat of a square design. (But not totally square.) And we chose an "earthy tan" color. (Just to be different!)...My son bought my husband and I a beautiful flatware set for our anniversary. (In May of 2010 a few months before my husband passed- away.)...I'm pretty sentimental when it comes to dishes and cookware etc. Every piece I have is really special to me and brings back memories of "happy times" with my family and loved ones!...I have the "Mikasa" Christmas bowl (casserole dish) that I gave to my Mom the year before she died. I thought it would be perfect for mashed potatoes on holidays. Mashed potatoes were always a "big deal" in our family!
I have Corelle, too! Tried to break it, so I'd need new pieces...the stuff is almost indistructable! So, I've grown to love it....it's plain, so I can set the table around it.
Nope...don't plan on changing ever.
I do have some beautiful silver utensils...unfortunately, the design has been discontinued. I have 8 place settings and most of the auxillary pieces I need. If I ever find more personal butter knives, I'll buy them....This silver is gorgeous and feels good in your hand.
I use several different sets depending on the meal and if I have company. Old antique china for formal, a great brown set I received as a wedding present in 1972 for Indian food, and for everyday, Corelle. I had to buy some replacement plates for the Corelle because YES they can be broken. I had a military macaw who would grab a plate and slam it against the floor if I fed him something he didn't like! It was like watching a prison riot or something. Sure, it would be nice to buy some new everyday stuff but have you noticed the plates and bowls are inexpensive but good luck on getting the platters, spoon rest, and other specialty items.
We have been using the same Wedgwood china service for eight that we bought 20 years ago even though there are only two of us now. However, since all the pieces have platinum rims outside and inside, they cannot be microwaved, so we mix them with the Italian ceramics that we bought 12 years ago.
I do not separate our dishes into special occasions and everyday stuffs. Everything we have is to be used and enjoyed, so I even polish my German antique silver teapot once a month so I can use it all the time. There is no china cabinet for us, everything, expensive or not, goes in the cupboard and be used daily.
Last edited by Ol' Wanderer; 04-05-2012 at 05:56 PM..
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