Blue Plate Special

June 24, 2015 posted by Stephanie in Space

From Marimekko (third column, last row) to Morocco (second column, last row) to sleek Corelle (second column, top row) or modern Quatrefoil (first column, last row) there is a blue and white plate from every place and every era for every purpose

Sometime ago I read that blue should never be associated with food as it’s calming color kills the appetite. Also in nature, apart from blue berries and blue corn which are a deeper purplish hue, there really aren’t too many appealing ingredients that are in the cool colors. Traditionally again, one was supposed to veer away from using blue with regards to food. Well I feel like whoever they were, were completely wrong. There’s nothing more striking than bright, fresh food against a deep blue background. I feel like it really has the ability to pop and call out to you. Perhaps because I have a penchant for ethnic food which tends to be equally vibrant in flavor and aesthetic, dishes tinted in vivid turmeric or saffron, topped fuchsia and white radishes or laced with scarlet harissa, look amazing served up in blue and white patterned bowls and platters.

I have had a thing for blue and white plates since as far as I can remember. When I moved back to the Philippines one of the first things I did was steal my mother’s old Cardinal ceramic blue and white plates. At 18 I visited Segovia and hand carried a set of gorgeous Ceraplats decorative dessert plates which I evidently use for everything BUT decoration. A few years ago I went bananas in Ho Chi Minh’s Ben Tanh Market buying every kind of blue and white bowl possible and painstakingly wrapping them in t-shirts and dirty socks so they wouldn’t break in my suitcase. Most recently I picked up a gorgeous plate and trivet from the Grace Home Manila trunk show. My friend Grace Baja of www.TheSpoiledMummy.com had brought them back from her last trip to Turkey.

What I love is that this color combination transcends all cultures, from Dutch Delft to Chinese Ming to adorning Moroccan Tagines and Japanese teacups the multitude of patterns and designs in blue and white evokes history and an exotic anthropological story. The great thing about them is that you can easily mix and match which allows you to grow your collection with special one off pieces. Here are some of my favorites from around the world along with my ultimate dream set – the Hermès Bleu d’Ailleurs Collection. Literally translated as “Blue from Elsewhere” which is exactly what I want to feel when eating something amazing on a stunning plate.

Love and Light and Blue and White, Stephanie