There was an episode of Friends in which Monica decided to use the “good china” for Thanksgiving dinner. She spent the entire dinner eyeballing everyone as their knives scraped across the plates, worried they would get scratched. I won’t spoil the ending for you, but let’s just say it wasn’t knives she should have been worried about.
Do you have good china that just sits in a closet, gathering dust? What’s stopping you from using it?
I’ll admit it always boggled my mind to see people register for dishes that were $40 or more per place setting. I still don’t understand what makes a plate worth that much, let alone a plate you are afraid to use!
When we registered, I picked out a set that included 8 full place settings, sugar and cream bowls, and serving plates, etc. that was reasonably priced. (Something like this) My awesome brothers- and sisters-in-law pitched in and got us 2 sets! They knew we’d need a ton of dishes to host family dinners. The best part about them? Dishwasher safe! Boo ya!
On top of those perfect plates, my mother-in-law has been giving us Wilton Armetale servewear for several years. (Tip: Hit up the clearance room at Macy’s for great deals on this stuff.)
Alas, despite all my good intentions, most of our good dishes sat in our china cabinet for years.
That is, until last week. Last week we had my mother-in-law, and sister-in-law over for dinner. Since my father-in-law passed they’d been eating a lot of casserole, pasta, and more casserole, so I wanted to make a nice meal we could all enjoy.
As I was digging through my Dollar Tree platters I came upon a pile of beautiful, shiny platters and decided to go ahead and use them. I knew it would make my mother-in-law happy, and honestly, what the hell was I waiting for?
I put out the good dishes that night and I’ll tell you, dinner tasted better than night.
Now, I’m not saying I’m going to put out the china every night, or stop serving food straight from the pots and pans. But I’m starting to see how a special meal can be made even better when it’s presented nicely. And if I’m not going to put my good dishes to good use, what’s the point in having them?
What sort of small changes have had an impact on your life? Share in the comments.
