DISH OF THE WEEK: ROSANNA'S FOUR CALLING BIRDS

I grew up in an old part of an old city and holiday time to me was forever sparkling green and silver, gold and red. It meant garlands wrapped around the base of street lamps and warm oak banisters, a favorite pearl-colored angel ornament, candles in windows and wreaths on doors, people bundled up against the cold in crowds hurrying home after shopping, hot chocolate, satin party dresses, singing carols. It meant Santa, waiting in the shadows to come down your chimney that one night, even if you didn't have a chimney. It was always pure magic.

Rosanna Bowles, the Seattle-based china designer, is one of the few who can bring that magic back into adulthood through her work. Borrowing from visual elements of her many travels and interests, she is able to combine the innocence of childhood with the wisdom of the seasoned artist, which I consider a high form of alchemy.

So I would like to focus on one of her new patterns as a "must have" for your holiday party: FOUR CALLING BIRDS. They are, ostensibly, the birds of "Partridge in a Pear Tree," but brought into a new century. Drawn in 24-carat gold with a splash of foliage against a white background, they look like they have been caught on the edge of a snowstorm. The dessert plates feature the birds and branches in four different positions, so you feel a flock has landed on the table. There is something about this pattern that merges the delicacy of an Old Master drawing with a modern starkness and a richness of material. The pattern also comes in small footed dishes, perfect for scattering rich tidbits around your living room. I can also see these dishes being used together for a sushi snack, the footed ones perfect for soy sauce and wasabi.

So run don't walk to http://www.rosannainc.com/ to see this and other delights that Rosanna has in store for you. One of the "perks" in buying at Rosanna is that each pattern comes in its own themed box. I use mine in closets for gloves, scarves and other small things and they look amazing on a shelf (also under a Christmas tree with a simple ribbon around them in case you aren't buying for yourself.) Enjoy -------

SETTING THE STAGE

We are all so busy these days that meals are eaten on the run and no memory of the meal remains. I am as guilty of that as any busy person, but a couple of times a week - whether I am on my own or with friends - I set my table for an everyday meal as though it were something really special. I might use plates I haven't used for a while or dust off some glassware and I almost always have a good wine.

I was looking around for good diagrams and information about setting tables and I am unashamedly cannibalizing from the Emily Post Institute which seemed to be the shortest version). This tablesetting is for daily use - later I will go into more formal tablesettings and settings that deviate from any kind of plan like this one. And the whole thing of the thumbs (read below) is really a bit much. But after all, great artists - and we all have great artists within us - must learn to draw before they can paint. So have fun and add some of your own personality to the following. If you want one, a basic diagram is pictured above.


Etiquette Everyday ~ Entertaining
Table Setting Guide: Basic Place Setting



For a basic table setting, here are two great tricks to help you – or your kids – remember the order of plates and utensils:

Picture the word “FORKS.” The order, left to right is: F for Fork, O for Plate (the shape!), K for Knives and S for Spoons. (Okay – you have to forget the r, but you get the idea!)

Holding your hands in front of you, touch the tips of your thumbs to the tips of your forefinergers to make a lower case ‘b’ with your left hand and a lower case ‘d’ with your right hand. This reminds you that ‘bread and butter’ go to the left of the place setting and ‘drinks’ go on the right. Emily Post could have used that trick – she was often confused about which bread and butter belonged to her—and sometimes she used her neighbor’s! In which case, when it was called to her attention, she would say to the dismayed lady or gentleman, “Oh, I am always mixing them up. Here, please take mine!”

Some other things to know:

Knife blades always face the plate
The napkin goes to the left of the fork, or on the plate
The bread and butter plate and knife are optional

Have fun with this -- make it a game with your family when you're setting the table for dinner, whenever you all have dinner together again, of course!!!