LET'S DISH

I decided to make some soup. A big decision- I know- so, I grabbed a bowl out of the cupboard. Shockingly- there was a clean bowl to grab. I realized in a "life flashing before your eyes" moment that I have had these bowls since I was probably 6 years old. How many meals have I eaten from these crappy, K-Marty bowls and plates? I'm gonna guess something like 75%.

I got 'em from my parents when I moved away for college because they decided to trade up for something better. I don't blame them- these are ugly. Blue, white and brown. Why they bought them in the first place is beyond me. But here they are, in the cupboard I'm renting (along with the rest of the apartment) waiting for me to pour cereal into them, or fill 'em up with beans n' weenies so I can eat a quick dinner while watching "Incredible Hulk" reruns.

I also still have coffee cups I use on a regular basis that are at least as old as I am (more hand me downs.) Two are from "Mister Donut," which doesn't exist anymore, and another is a boring white mug with an insurance company I've never heard of's logo on it. I remember some customer of my dad's gave him a whole box of them once, and here is one of them sitting in my sink.

So when will I NOT have these dishes?

I'm not exactly a design-y kind of guy who's swapping out a perfectly functional item for a new one every couple months just because the new one looks cooler. But
visually, these things suck- it's a little thrift store stacked in my kitchen. If I had to go out and buy silverware and plates and cups, I'd buy fucking cool ones. But for now, these materials I have in-house do the job bowls and cups are supposed to do. They help me to move foods and beverages around my house without splashing them everywhere. As a means of conveyance, they can't be beat. The plates are flat, and the bowls are concave enough to allow for wet and saucy things to be transported around the apartment easily and mess-free.

The trouble is, I can't imagine when these will not exist and I will be forced to buy new dishes. Pending some kind of mass-disaster, I think one or two of these things will ALWAYS be around, until I forcibly throw them out. I don't know that I can bring myself to do that- they're like a younger step sibling you don't really get along with, but who idolizes you. You can talk some shit about them when prompted, but can't be a complete asshole to them, because deep down inside you have an attachment to them.

And if I donated these to Salvation Army just to spruce things up around here, who would buy them? And if someone actually DID, it would almost seem like rape to have them eating from dishes I've had my casseroles, tacos, and pastas on for the last 27 years.

So I think I'm stuck with these dishes.

Until they finally get fed up and run away with the spoons I've had for just as long.