The special plates you never use

When I was little, I used to help my grandma set the table.

Out came the same old plates, the ones with small chips along the rim, the ones you ate breakfast, lunch and dinner from every single day.

And then, from the cabinet I wasn’t supposed to touch, I would see those plates. The shiny white ones with gold edges. The ones for “special occasions.”

They only appeared three, maybe four times a year — holidays, birthdays, when guests came over. The rest of the time, they sat waiting, looking pretty, too precious for everyday life.

My mum does the same. Different plates, same idea. And for years, I thought that’s what grown-ups did, they saved the best things for later.

But I don’t want to live like this.
Why protect the best things instead of enjoying them?
Why should my Tuesday dinner get the short end of the fork?
I don’t have space for “special occasion” anything. And even if I did, I’d still use my favourite plates every day.

We do so many little things that undervalue the food we cook at home. We buy cheap ingredients without care. We serve them like they are an afterthought. And then we wonder why cooking feels like a chore…

It’s not just the food that makes a meal feel good. It’s the respect we give it.

So get your favourite plates out.
Use them.
Chip them.
Love them.
Because your everyday deserves the best.