The Art of Entertaining: Tableware (November Challenge Day #18)

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When I was getting married I remember going to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and picking out a nice grayish place setting that came with dinner plates, salad plates, bowls and mugs.  One of my mom's really good friends ended up buying us almost all the place settings I had registered for.  It was such a nice gift.  Unfortunately, once I got them I just wasn't feeling it anymore.  I fortunately had realized that I wanted all my dinnerware to be white.  So I returned those settings, took the money, and ran to Pottery Barn to buy a whole new set.  It was one of the best decisions I've ever made.  12+ years later I'm still using those same plates.  

Why white?  Because I believe that when you sit down to a meal your food should be the main event, not your plates.  There are exceptions to this of course and if I had endless money and space to store every thinkable serving plate and bowl, I would have a variety of colors and sizes and shapes of dishes.  But most of us are on a limited budget and have limited space so we can really only afford one set of dishes.  Because of this, my advice is to go with something white.  It's classic and timeless and really makes your meal work for you.  It is also the perfect color for when you have a dinner party.  It never competes with the decor and goes with everything.

Here are some examples of how having a white serving plate really makes your meal stand out:

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The great thing about dinnerware is that it's relatively cheap.  Especially if you consider that you use it EVERYDAY!!  Even if it's a little on the higher end, you won't regret it because you will use it a lot.  In fact, the better the materials in the plates, the less scratching you will get.  I have some very low quality white plates that I use for kids and there are several grey lines across the bottoms.  The higher end plates will not get those as much.   Here are some great ones I found.

Pottery Barn:

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Crate and Barrel:

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Target:

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Walmart:

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Christmas is quickly approaching so if you haven't thought of that perfect gift to ask for, ask for new dinnerware.  It will get you far in your entertainment endeavors and it won't break the bank.  Once again, a double win!!

Happy Hump Day!!