Here it is!!!!

I am going to pretend I got tagged by Vidya on Collections.

I am going to be very honest, I admire and encourage all kinds of collections my friends have - magnets, bells, shot glasses, crosses, books, key chains, stamps, coins, ….But, it is not for me. When I travel I don’t like to be bogged with making memories, if it makes any sense. To me, I like to see things as I see at that time. Take a few pictures with people I care about, not the usual sceneries, sunsets, or sunrises…but just people not places. Always I end up collecting the contacts of fellow tourists and even passengers, so in a way I can say I collect lives No matter how many times it has happened, I am always amazed when the person sitting next to me gives his/her business card, especially in the present day culture that treasures privacy.

I have been very conscious of the fact that I live out of one suitcase and even before that my husband’s uncertainty client site and before that my dad’s transferable job have always made me give more importance to things that cannot be left behind - memories to cherish.

That made clear, I do collect dinner sets, crystalware, flatwares, servewares and other things related to eating food. I think this has to do with the  fact kitchen/dining time is very important to me and the people I eat food with will always be considered as a part of me no matter we part or not. I have more dinner plates made out of more kinds of materials than most I know. Even if I have a large gathering I will never need paper plates that I detest

My first plate resembled a TV, a square with a circle and rectangle on the right side to hold curries, chutneys, or in my case my mom-made mango jam for idlis and dosas and anything else in the world. I loved it and used it until my mom gave it away to our maid since she thought I had outgrown it. Giving away to maids was one way my mom did what I would have otherwise raised a hell for. She smart.

Then I liked regualar round stainless steel plates for the rest of my life in parents place.

When I got married and landed in US, two of the first gifts I received that same day were a fine china dinner set from Mikasa for four and a matcing coffee serving set. It was a delicate english pattern with blue flowers and green vine. I still own it and take it out only for special occasions for just my family of three. It is a very personal gift since both of those friends are in NJ and OR, faraway from where I am. I do use the coffee sets more often due to my love for tea.

When I returned to India for the first time, my parents gifted me with a La Opala complete set for 6, coffee mugs and tea cups and saucers and the whole thing. I was wondering how to bring it back to my house 24 hours of flight time away without breaking. My dad said he will pack it and check it in and assured me that nothing will break, it did not. I love him. I treasure this one too and use it sparingly. Much later, my daughter did break one teacup when she had just started walking. My husband thought that either tears were going to well up or I was going to yell but I was not upset at all, I found it funny just like I always adore her. After all, she was learning that dropping things on carpet was ok but not on kitchen tiles.

Now that we had our own house, I told my husband we need to buy 1 set for everday use - and off we went to Mikasa and got one that we do use everyday and actually got 2 coffee mugs broken too.

Recently I had gone to Mexico and had to buy myself a classic blue and white dinner set in memory of all the dinners that were served to me in kind homes every night and the fun dance nights we had. This we are using a lot too.

As we made more friends, thanks to my daughter and husband, I bought a dozen corelle dinner plates and a dozen stainless plates and tumblers for kids.

My mother-in-law sent 4 TV plates for my daughter and her friends and she loves it. Once again proves the circle of life.

My friend gave me coffee mugs as graduation gift for my MBA realizing the mugs of coffee it took to be a Dean’s Scholar. Those are my personal faves.

And here is  my new favourite for cappuccino:

My daughter recently broke a crystal drinkware and "cleaned" it up before we woke up. I was worried and I told her crystal contains lead which is poisonous and next time she should let us clean it. I also told her I was sad that she broke it, now the set will always remain incomplete since it is not in stores anymore and we cannot just like that replace it since that would be unfair to the remaining set. She volunteered not to touch the crystalware without asking me and conveyed her apologies. Was I exploiting her emotions? I don’t know…