Dishes

One of the greatest things that living in Japan (or perhaps from living on a tight budget), is when you don't have much, you enjoy what you have. Our house back in The States was full to bursting, and as I try to think of what it was full of, I can't remember much. I don't miss my stuff, and frankly dread having to unpack it all from storage.

Ben and I know that we'll only be here till April, and we'll only get to take home a handful of things, so we buy things with much more thought and care.

When I was in Russia, I got to eat dinner at a few Russian homes. My favorite thing about the meals was the dishes. At a dinner set for eight, no two people had the same dish. Each dish was beautiful, and the owners of the dishes could tell me the story of each and every one. The overall feel was a bit eclectic, but reminded you that you were in someones home, not at a restaurant, the dishes invited you to learn about your host. The families told me that each dish represented a time in their life, or a place they had been, set around the table was the story of their lives.  I loved this tradition and really wanted to make it one of my own.

Here in Japan, Ben and I have very few dishes 4 bowls, 9 plates, 8 cups. We've bought each one as we found a new dish we really liked, and now when we set the table for ourselves the setting is dynamic, and representing of our lives here in Japan. Someday, I hope we will welcome a guest to our dinner table, and they will see our lives before their very eyes.