White Tablecloths

White Tablecloths


I adore white tablecloths and like to set a lovely table to enhance our meals. One of my pet peeves is the use of paper plates in situations that don’t warrant them. Paper plates and plastic cutlery are just fine for picnics, but detract from the atmosphere of a gracious home.

This time of year, we eat out on our screeened in porch overlooking an enclosed garden area. Our table is glass, which I contrast with black placements and my white china on top. I add a side plate, water glasses, and a glass for wine. This is one of the small grace notes that frame my life and help me to leave my work day behind me to nurture my husband and myself in the privacy of our home.

I love white china and serving dishes. I believe that white plates make food look more attractive on the plate than when it must compete with a pattern. Fruits, vegetables, and salads all look more vibrant against a white background. I don’t like to see food crowded upon a plate. It is more aesthetically pleasing, as well as far more healthy, to avoid enormous portions. Place a smaller amount of food beautifully on a plate.

During these times, when we are all tightening our belts, what better way to save money than to mimic the niceties of a fine restaurant by cooking well-prepared, wholesome food served at table as it would be in an elegant restaurant? It isn’t difficult. Most of us already have everything we need to do so. The art of living graciously is to turn ordinary events into small celebrations.

I was fortunate to be raised in a family where beauty and color were cherished. I grew up with a nicely-set table at home in London. Unlike today, we ate together as a family always. This practice is eroding now among families and we are all the poorer for it.

It is said that our characters and personalities are formed during early childhood. All families have iconic stories which are often shared, illustrating some humorous moment or an incident which demonstrates the idiosyncrasies of a particular loved one.

My mother often shared the story of the time when I was 2 ½, when she attempted to take me to tea at the ABC Cafeteria, a modest establishment in England. As I looked into the glass front, I began crying and was nearly inconsolable. My anxious mother asked me repeatedly what the matter was. I replied, “No white tablecloths” and refused to go in. I was a decorator from birth, apparently.

Let’s all refuse to make our lives with our families inconsequential by eating at a counter, a bare table, on top of a pile of newspapers or in front of the television. Take a few minutes to lay down some placements, iron a crisp, white tablecloth or put some Queen Anne’s lace in a crystal vase. Your life will be enriched.

Live life beautifully,

Elaine

pic courtesy of Williams-Sonoma, supplier of my favorite white plates