No matter how much I cook, no matter how many pictures of my food I post online, I can’t bring myself to spend a lot of money on dishes. My dishes are cheap, durable and simple – almost all from Marshalls or TJ Maxx.
Of course, I look at more expensive ones too: I love the whimsical prints of Bitossi Home, the luxurious colors of East Fork, the vintage charm of Ginori, and the trompe l’oeil absurdity of Gohar World. But then I calculate what it would cost to outfit my apartment with a set when a single plate costs over $40. Although I don’t often throw dinner parties, I’ve internalized my mother’s old-fashioned advice that a good home cook should always be prepared to entertain a crowd. In this view, special dinnerware sets exist primarily to show off to others; that’s why newlyweds fill their registries with collections of beautiful china that gathers dust outside of the rare special occasion.
The affordable alternative: buy yourself just a small, fancy plate. The small, fancy plate doesn’t even have to be expensive, as mentioned above. It just has to be a piece that represents a break from the monotony of everyday life. One of my small, fancy plates – a rustic, speckled piece in ceramic – came from a B-stock box at a Christmas market: maybe $10. The artist was obviously not proud of it, as he didn’t sign the bottom, but I love its rough imperfection anyway. That it’s a one-off makes it even more special; anyone with money can buy Ginori.
My other fancy little plate is even cheaper: a stainless steel platter I bought at a restaurant supply store for, if I remember correctly, under $5. Eating my buttered toast on it, I imagine a cool and timeless L’Appartement 4F vibe. No longer reminiscent of Lunchables, my five-minute plate of grapes, cheese slices, a nectarine, and olives feels like something out of a Dutch still life, as if I’d mischievously stolen a platter from a Dionysian feast and then returned to my desk to work. Even when the meal gets messy—the platter smeared with mayo or drizzled with oil—it looks chic.
The fancy little plate is ultimately not about the price of the thing, but about the feeling of value you attach to it: fancy is a state of mind. I only use mine every now and then, mainly when I want my meal to feel a little more intentional or special in some way. Using the fancy little plate every day would diminish its perspective-altering effect. Today I put a sandwich on it, just because.
If you’re cooking for a partner, maybe buy two. Or maybe not: let the pretty little plate be your quiet, sole pleasure, or use it unprompted to occasionally show your partner a little extra love.
Chic plates to buy
