When Color Makes Me Gag.

I recently found myself shopping from a friend’s wedding registry.

Specifically, for some fabulously multi-colored Fiestaware.

*swoon*

All those happy, bright, saturated colors of joy!

It was hard to not fill my cart with a bunch of “extras” to stowaway in my cupboards.

And oh did my heart ever pitter patter when I found out that Le Creuset now carries a line of dishes!!!

12 of each please!

Except that…wait.

This is where I get neurotic on y’all.

Ready for it?

I can’t eat off of colored plates.

Okay, maybe not that I can’t as in I would die…but…

I’m a super visual person.  They say I have an “eye” for color.  It’s a good trait.  But a bad one too.

I remember once in college picking up some Chinese food and heading to a friend’s house.

Upon where she pulled out a gorgeous deep cherry red plate and proceeded to scoop orange chicken onto it for me.

The red mixed with the orange saucyness…vile.  Just downright vile.

It made my stomach churn.

I realize as I type this, how ridiculous and non-sensical this whole thing sounds, but I’m telling you, it looked disgusting.  In fact, I’m pretty sure they teach you not to mix clashing colors at cooking schools.  I’m actually being totally serious.  (Yet too lazy to Google if for you.)

So apparently I’m not the only one with this disease.

I tried searching for images of “red food on red plate” and I couldn’t come up with much, but with all due respect to whoever cooked this meal…while Im sure it tasted delicious, there’s no way I could eat it.

Well, I’d have to kinda keep looking ahead and only look down at my plate just long enough to stab the food with my fork.  The colors just clash into a gross mess.

Remember our  St. Patty’s Day morning?  Green pancakes on a green plate on a green tablecloth.

::gag::

It’s not so much that I can’t eat anything off of colored plates…but that the colors can’t clash.

See, this would be fine.  It actually makes me want to eat little cherry tomatoes in its happy little aqua bowl.  To be honest, they actually look extra yummy.

Because the colors work together…not against each other.

Owning something like Fiestaware, I’d have to be really specific about which plates I used depending on the meal.  Maybe even washing dirty plates to make it work.

And I just really don’t have time for that kind of thing.

So, what then DO I prefer to eat off of?

White. White. White.

Plain.

No decorations.

No patterns.

Just. white.

First of all, because it just looks so clean and fresh and timeless.

Food won’t ever look gross on it.  No clashing issues.  I can eat in peace.

There’s also the added bonus that if somehow these dishes manage to last until my kids are adults, I don’t have to own up to the fact that they’re 30 years old.

You remember those beige plates with the country blue bows and hearts on them?

You know, the ones that matched the geese wearing little country blue bonnets?

Yeah.  You know.  You totally know.  And I bet you can tell me exactly what years those were from.

(Not knocking it…they were super cute at the time…but they definately date things.)

My white dishes?  Could be from 1940 for all anyone knows.  Or 2012.  Or 2145.  They’ll always work.

You know what makes me salivate more than those rainbow hued displays in Macy’s of Fiestaware?

I kinda gasped even as I went looking for this picture on the Potterybarn website.

Doesn’t matter how many times I’ve seen the simplicity of these white on white on white dishes…I still lovey love love them.

Perfection, my friends.  Absolute perfection.

(In case you are wondering, my plates are not the PB version…they’re by Corelle…but sadly, I think they are out of production now.  Boo.)

 

(Image sources can be found by clicking on the pic.  Unless I took them.  Then they won’t take you anywhere.)

 

Do you have weird issues with dishware?  Or am I the only one that’s crazy?

 

 

 

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jeannett
I'm a mom to four. A wife to one. I believe in story. I love telling you about mine and would love to hear yours. There's really no sense in wasting our suffering and not sharing in each other's joy. We're all in this together...even if it doesn't always feel like it.
jeannett
jeannett

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Comments

  1. 1

    I’m First!! No you do NOT have issues with dishware!! I have all white too! IT makes it easier for everything to go with! like you i have colored accent pieces like some spode bakeware and such. I love fiestaware but I don’t think I could eat off it. my dishes were clearance from crate & Barrel similar to the second white dishes picture above! Love them! Plus totally agree that no matter what year you will never know how old they are!

    • 2

      I love adding color with serving dishes, platters, and pitchers…makes them pop! :)

      • 3

        Yep! I have some red but am dying over some of the new le cruset colors and want to branch out into the rest!!

  2. 4

    I had white dishes for 14 years, then decided it was time for some new ones, so I replaced them…with…NEW white dishes. : )
    rachel´s last blog post ..my mini me

  3. 6

    Totally understand as I have the same issue. We have deep green plates (because they were cheap!) and sometimes dinner looks really good until I get it on the plate. I have to force myself to eat some night because just looking at dinner makes me nauseous. Buying new plates (white or black) is on my to do list but they have to wait for a while. I’ve been checking out goodwill and thrift stores but so far no luck.

    • 7

      maybe you need to start collecting the PB white plates? Buy them slowly…and when bdays, Christmas, etc. come up, ask for pieces from it? That’s how I’ve amassed my LC collection…there’s no way I could own all of it otherwise!

  4. 8

    You’re weird.

    ;-)

  5. 10

    YES.
    I thought I was the only person like this. I can’t even eat off black plates well because it just makes me feel all Adams Family.

    We have white plates. They are lovely & I still love them just as much as I did when we registered.

  6. 12

    I TOTALLY agree! I hate plates with pattern too. When I registered for white plates for my wedding a well meaning family member bought me place settings for 20. Only problem was that they had a enourmously ugly pattern and it’s taken me 10 years to break them all so that I can go out and justify buying something white. The food should take center stage — not the dishes.

  7. 13

    Interesting fact I learned way back … when you eat off of Dark colored plates you eat less. No joke-it was some study and i never forgot it.
    My color issue has to do with the food itself-you have to have a nice mix of color-not all white food (I made a meal like this once and it was depressing). But yes those pictures of same colored food on plates is kind of gross. Luckily for me my husband picked out white plates with just little red berries-that can easily be covered up with food :)
    Stephanie´s last blog post ..Before and After part 1

  8. 15

    I never thought of colored dishes like that before! Very interesting take. Of course all our dishes are white and I used to think that was boring until I realized just how versatile they are.
    Rach (DonutsMama)´s last blog post ..I Might Could Be Bought

  9. 16
    rachel h. says:

    I. Am. With. You. I own a set of 12 porcelain white plates and I have a set of 8 everyday white plates! I even have issues when people bring over a dish to go with dinner and their serving dish doesn’t go. I totally want to transfer it into one of mine. I usually don’t, but I know I have on occasion. I do have chargers in gold, silver, and red so I can add a little flare to a meal. I don’t care that I am neurotic, it works for me. :) Oh, and I generally serve dinner off our salad plates when it is just our family. Smaller plates = smaller portions.

  10. 17

    While this particular thing you speak of has never personally bothered me, I have my own weird quirk. My husband picked on me about it all.the.time until he found out there are many people who have the same thing. I can smell something and out of my mouth comes “that smells like such and such would taste(even if its something Id never eat, like… dirt, a dead animal,etc… ” Or I see a color and automatically pair it to a certain letter of the alphabet. And now that Ive completely scared any and everyone from ever talking to me again, I will sign off. But I wanted you to know, we all have weird quirky things. They may differ but we’re all weird together:)
    xo,
    Sarah
    Sarah @ Handbags*N*Pigtails´s last blog post ..It Happens Every Time

    • 18

      You know, I’m totally not judging…but dude, that’s CRAZY that you pair colors with letters!!!! Actually I think it’s pretty awesome.

  11. 19

    Hmmm, well I WAS going to say you’re weird – but after reading all your comments I’m feeling the wierd one. NONE of my dishes match, and not a single one is white – they are all different colors and patterns, etc. Hubs and I just buy random dishes that we like. None of our glasses or coffee mugs match, none of our bowls match…hahahaha – it drives my mother/sister in law NUTS!!!!!! (perhaps that’s a little tiny bit why I do it)
    So yeah, you can’t come to my house for dinner unless you are willing to eat off white paper plates :)
    Kirsten´s last blog post ..Another Day- Another Haircut

  12. 22

    Yes, totally a fan of white dishes. Occasionally I am jealous of others who can pull of color, but then I am grateful to go back to my simple white!

    Also, FYI, Cliffy’s mom is needing some encouragement this week. Adoption is not an easy journey. I think it would really lift her spirits if some folks could visit her blog. http://buildingourvillage.blogspot.com/

    Bless you all!
    Gwen´s last blog post ..Household Names

  13. 23

    Oh those dishes are so cute!!

    I’m actually the exact same way when it comes to eating off of dishes! We have white & maroon dish sets and I just *cant* eat off the maroon ones. Always going for the white. If there isn’t a white one… I’ll either wash one or use a bowl.
    Kait´s last blog post ..Victoria Day Weekend and May Flowers

  14. 24

    I do looove color, but when I added dishes to our registry last week, I went for these:
    http://www.target.com/Home-Blair-16-pc-Dinnerware-Set/dp/B003KWWY8Q/ref=sc_qi_detailbutton

    I like that they’re not plain white, but simple & pretty. And if you came to dinner, the food would be on white. ;)
    Jacky {The Sweetest Petunia}´s last blog post ..What I Love Wednesday wedding inspiration

  15. 26

    I’ve been kinda tired of our black dishes for a while but not really sure what I wanted to replace them with. Now I know exactly what I want. The clean, crispness of the white-on-white….ahh. Love it! And as far as the eating less on dark dishes thing…I totally buy that. And I totally don’t care ;)

  16. 27

    white white white all the way. I hate patterns on plates or when the rim is all glitzy. I love the crisp look of bright white in the cupboards and on the table and then with colorful food neatly place on it.

  17. 28

    Apparently, I’m in the minority. Really, the food gets inhaled off my plate so I don’t even notice what I’m eating off of… ;o)

  18. 29

    My mom and I actually are quite the opposite. We walked into Pottery Barn and scanned the place looking for color. Upon deciding that we couldn’t bring ourselves to buy white everything, we had to leave and find something more “us.”

    But I love you anyways!

  19. 30

    I love many colors so I can use plates,dishes,chopticks,glasses with many colors like above.Love your photos
    Haley´s last blog post ..do college students go on vacation with their family

  20. 31

    I don’t have your same affliction, but I love colorful dishes and I love the simplicity of white. I use these dishes: http://www.dinnerwarecenter.com/noritake-colorwave.html and they’re colorful on the outside, but white on the food surface part. I LOVE them! They can be a little pricey, but we got them as wedding gifts (9 years ago) and I love adding new-to-me colors and pieces that are being discontinued and are cheap. I have a great (in my opinion) hodgepodge collection of pieces now. I am glad to know that if nothing else I’m not the only one who loves her dishes…. :)

  21. 32

    love white dishware-but i have every color of fiestaware!! LOVE color. all through the house:)
    hannah´s last blog post ..elijah grey- an adoption story part 3

  22. 33

    OMG! Those Cassis dishes make me *swoon*!

    We used to have white dishes (EPISTEL plates and salad plates from Ikea, no longer in production) but I got rid of em. Now I’ve got a chocolate brown DINERA 18 piece set (also from Ikea, where I work) and I love it! Everything just pops out!

    http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/20137672

    http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/60152552
    Kara´s last blog post ..Penguins

  23. 34

    There is no photographic trick involved. It is all about vibrant color combination. I was surprised to find white porcelain in between all the photos.

  24. 35

    I’m playing catch up with the starred stuff in my reader…

    My dishes are Fiestaware, every color in the rainbow….

    Come over for dinner soon…..you know you want to…
    Julie {Angry Julie Monday}´s last blog post ..Friday Favorites 9- Kitchens

  25. 36

    I definitely enjoyed every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post in the future I was very happy to have found this site. I wanted to thank you for this excellent post.

    fiestaware plates