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An Interesting Dilemma
During the course of a GISHWHES item procurement (don't ask, I can't tell you yet), I realized that my wedding china (ironically bought closer to our divorce than our wedding) has been sitting untouched in the cabinet for... well, between 6 and 8 years, depending on the piece.
The traditional refrain for china is "the good stuff" and "for company." After my divorce I took a look at the silverware (actual silver) and decided I saw no need to buy inexpensive stainless for 'everyday' use, because if I wasn't good enough to use the "good stuff," who the hell was? (and what kind of message was I sending myself?) But silver can be put in the dishwasher, and polished at-need. Good china really needs to be hand-washed. And I am good enough for the good stuff, but I'm also lazy enough to groan at the thought of hand-washing dishes after every meal. Ditto the lovely but really impractical-for-how-I-drink-coffee cups and saucers.
So what do I do with the china? Continue to keep it in the cabinet, wrapped up? Say the hell with it and start using them (especially as my daily-wear plates will need to be replaced soon?) Or find somewhere to donate them, and hope they find a good home?
A dilemma.
(selling them really isn't an option - the resale value on these probably won't even cover my time/energy in taking out an ad and dealing with no-show buyers. Unless someone reading here is interested? Set for ten, including the errata - platters, bowls, etc).
The traditional refrain for china is "the good stuff" and "for company." After my divorce I took a look at the silverware (actual silver) and decided I saw no need to buy inexpensive stainless for 'everyday' use, because if I wasn't good enough to use the "good stuff," who the hell was? (and what kind of message was I sending myself?) But silver can be put in the dishwasher, and polished at-need. Good china really needs to be hand-washed. And I am good enough for the good stuff, but I'm also lazy enough to groan at the thought of hand-washing dishes after every meal. Ditto the lovely but really impractical-for-how-I-drink-coffee cups and saucers.
So what do I do with the china? Continue to keep it in the cabinet, wrapped up? Say the hell with it and start using them (especially as my daily-wear plates will need to be replaced soon?) Or find somewhere to donate them, and hope they find a good home?
A dilemma.
(selling them really isn't an option - the resale value on these probably won't even cover my time/energy in taking out an ad and dealing with no-show buyers. Unless someone reading here is interested? Set for ten, including the errata - platters, bowls, etc).
I have two sets of china.
But I do still hand wash them, along with my crystal and my silver, because they both have gilt on them, and I'm afraid it would come off in the dishwasher.