Simple speckled bowl
It is a simple speckled bowl, made out of a soft plastic material. It is about as nondescript of a dish as you can find.
Does it match any other bowls in our cabinet? Not really. It is the same plastic and shape as the bright pink, bright blue and aqua bowl, but somehow it has always been different.
This bowl is one of the first dishes I ever had, that I could truly call my own. It went to college with me, where it served me cereal and oatmeal in the morning, canned ravioli or ramen noodles for lunch and held some homemade canned peaches or pears late at night, courtesy of the jars that my grandmother would send to me.
When I married, my husband and I compared what we had for dishes – he brought a basic-patterned set of Corelle, courtesy of his first marriage, while I brought an eclectic mix of plastic and Melmac dishes, courtesy of rummage sales and discount stores.
Originally we planned to ditch both of our old sets and just buy a new set of dishes together. We did buy a set of dishes, in fact, but somehow, neither of us gave up our original sets. The Corelle was just too practical, while my dishes seemed to fill some in-between needs.
Nowadays, I happily keep that simple speckled bowl for my use only. It makes me smile as I sip my soup, or enjoy some cereal. I think of all the times I have used that bowl, and I love the memories it brings -
- The feeling of independence I experienced when I first left home
- The quiet nights in my snug dorm room, as I studied for a test or wrote a paper
- The meals shared with good friends and roommates
- The comfort of a care package sent from home and filled with gifts and love.
This bowl may appear cheap and worn, but then nobody can see the rich history and happy memories it holds. Except me. I see them all.
(And that blue and purple, flowery Melmac plate under the bowl? Another dish from my college years. Oh, the memories…)
Memories are so much more that the stuff….glad you still have the bowl.
I just love the memories. And somehow, that bowl just makes me smile. I actually get bummed if we are having soup and it isn’t clean and ready for me to use. Yes, I’m weird.
Joe and I have mix-matched dishes that we both brought to the marraige too… It’s been 15 years, and we’ve YET to buy a decent set of dishes. *lol*
I can understand your need to hold onto the bowl… Some things just carry to many memories to give up.
http://scrapgrrl.com
The set of dishes we bought just never completely caught on. They are heavier than everything else, so they somehow seem bulky. We’ve talked about upgrading to a new pattern of Corelle, but it is something we want versus something we need – and not high on the priority list.
This was so beautiful. I have a pasta bowl that I can’t get rid of, because it represents similar things. And I’m usually very good at getting rid of old stuff.
A pasta bowl? I laugh only because, essentially, this little bowl has been used to hold so much pasta. Maybe it is the comfort of yummy carbohydrates warming our heart with these bowls. I am not the best at getting rid of stuff, but I always look at this bowl when we’ve sorted out other stuff to pass on – and I can’t do it. The “matching” ones in different colors? Sure, I could see passing them on, but not the speckled one.
Hmm … I get nervous about becoming so attached to “things”, but sometimes it can not be helped. At least yours seems somewhat durable!
I think, if it vanished, I would be fine. And yes, it is very durable. Overall, I just like how I smile each time I use it. I catch myself laughing about this memory or that memory almost every time.
I’ve got the pink plastic cups we used growing up – love those for the same reason. I made popcorn a couple weeks ago and of course used one to hold the butter when I melted it in the microwave. I explained to D about how long those cups have been around and how they are the designated butter-melting receptacles. He thought it was cool.
The pink plastic cups! I remember those ones! Enjoy and yes, fun memories behind those! (I have some of our old dishes, too, and like you, love thinking about our childhood when I use them.)
I love it! I still have the bowl I got for college, too! Oh, the memories…
Isn’t it just fun to have memories like that about one simple object?
Your post brought back memories of my own college days. I especially loved coming home to my dorm on a cold winter afternoon, cuddling up with the large stuffed dog on my bed and sipping hot cocoa. Ah, the memories…thanks for triggering them!
Glad I could trigger happy memories for you, too!
I had to laugh when I saw the picture… I knew exactly what they were before even reading the post! Thanks for the vicarious Harriet St, college memories!
Amy – Glad you remember the dishes from our little house! (Which by the way, is rented out via some other rental company, per the sign, when we last drove through that area.)
I still have the matching purple coffee cups and purple bowls, too, to go with the plate.
Not weird… sentimental. So endearing, RC.
I try not to get too sentimental, but I just realized recently, that whenever I went for a bowl for soup, that was the bowl I looked for.
Hi RC,
I love the fact you hung onto that bowl. I have two tin plates from when I was 20 and they were used when my best friend and I camped out way out West. I used them for many years, packed them away, and when I ran into them recently, like you I couldn’t bear to part with them.
After reading your post, I think I need to start using them and stir up some good memories.
Hi Barbara! So glad I could remind you of those memories! Yes, time to get out the plates. Isn’t it amazing how we can live without these items, but then when we see them, the memories are so strong?