china from japan

reader, a few of you (the facebook ones) may know that the husband spent some time in japan when he was very, very young. while there, the husband's mother purchased this set of china, selected because it nicely matched the furniture in their on-base home.

since then, the husband's family has moved many times, and his siblings? they've moved even more. the husband's mother, an equitable soul if ever there was one, saved these dishes, making a mental note of this one more thing to be distributed to her children (of which there are 6, did the baron mention?). one of the husband's siblings received the family silverware, a sister received yet another set of china... and on and on.


it just so happens, it luckily happens, that the baron loves these dishes. they're pretty and a little '70s cheesy (which the baron is choosing to recognize as whimsy).


the set was originally service for 12 ('FOR 12!!' said the baron, before realizing that - with 8 proper family members - 12 settings were needed for company) and - sadly - not all have made it. what remains are 9 dinner plates, 11 saucers for 8 coffee cups (above), a footed gravy boat, a swerving dish (below), two serving platters (a larger and a smaller one), 10 soup bowls, and 9 bread and butter plates (the baron felt very fancy, counting her new bread and butter plates), a creamer, and a sugar bowl (first photo). on the whole, the set is in remarkably good shape - having survived the trip from japan to all over america, and the hands of 6 children to boot.

when they were first married, and their friends and family came to celebrate, the baron and the husband remained adamantly unregistered and requested no gifts. they might even have said, 'china? pshaw!!' but this? these dishes? the baron, usually hard-hearted and unsentimental, is actually quite touched to have a piece of the husband's youth brought, intact, into their lives. new traditions and all that.