Dish 'n Dat

There was a neat little shop on Wethersfield Road on Natick (years ago) that Aunty J told me about. I hied myself thither and picked up such delights as a set of (now-identified and gone out of production) Towle flatware, some nice blue soup plates that we use constantly, and some fill-in pieces of my Arabia Valencia stoneware. I don't think it's there anymore, but it was fun while it lasted.

All this by way of trying to think about my china/stoneware/etc. obsession. We have worked our way through the nice white wedding Johnson Brothers stoneware (gone out of production/business long since) that I gifted to Kris years ago. I'm sure it's not around anymore.

And then the white Japanese china/stoneware that has the embossed calla lily on it...most of it also gone (it's lived in a house with twenty-something men for a few years).

I think my Valencia is my favorite...dark blue swirls that are reminiscent of the folk majolica in Valencia Spain...I never had a full set (the cups are dorky anyway) but white and dark blue always go together, and I have accumulated four of this yellow and white ware and four of that other blue and white ware, and now have an interesting set up. Cobalt blue and white go with ALL COLORS!!! hee hee

Martha Stewart made much one Thanksgiving of setting a table with all mismatched antique china. Well, mine is not so antique, but pretty well mismatched.

My love of many-colored china may have sprung from Uncle F and Aunt E's set of Fiesta Ware, back in the 1950s. I suppose they had it from before, when they lived in Indianapolis and Worcester, etc., but they moved to Portsmouth NH in 1947 (my year!) and that is where I knew them. Of course, we continue the tradition of place settings that have NO matching colors...I have nine colors of Fiesta, bought new a dozen years ago (I'm missing the newer color releases, if you're looking for something to burden me with...).

But back in the late winter last year, when we were packing up the china (well, most of it, anyway), I discovered that I actually DO have mismatched antique china on which to serve my "Martha" guests...both Grandmothers' china have landed in my china cabinet...neither set either intact or in production. I can identify both on Replacements Inc., but have no plans to fill out the sets. I also have a delightful chocolate set, possibly from the 1890s, and a pretty pink-blossomed tea or coffee set. I still don't know the difference, china-wise.

About the time we were packing things up, I tossed out the cats' icky plastic food dishes and began serving them twice daily on clean china...at first my grandmother C's, but now on Fiesta ware...much healthier for the cats. So the good stoneware and china that we don't use, our furry friends (the counter-culture) get to use.

I'm sure I'll think about china again, but for now, would you like that muffin on the GOOD old china?