The other night, I went to Village des Valeurs to look for some ceramic plates and cups to create a 3 tier serving plate at a low cost. Thrift stores and vintage shops are some of my most favourite places to be, despite a time when I was embarrassed of my second hand clothing at a young age, I soon grew to appreciate objects from the past and saw them as direct connections to history, small time travelling machines of sorts.
While looking for a matching set of plates, I found a few from a Japanese company called "Mikasa", I was drawn to the type used and simple quaint aesthetic of the plate. I'm assuming it is from the 70s due to the colours and graphic elements. Although tacky, it was exactly to my taste, tackiness done right!
Before glueing everything together I thought this would be a good opportunity to observe not only the difference between our slo plates and the standard plate but also the difference between the standard plate of today and that of another time.
The first thing I noticed was that the rim was larger and the space dedicated in the center was smaller. Both plates were framed by a floral decoration but the one I have at home was more subtle. Also, the weights of the plates were slightly different where the mikasa plate was a bit heavier.
Once I prepared my lunch, I arranged it onto the mikasa plate first. I centered the food, making sure it didn't go over onto the rim. The arrangement was quite appetizing and the aesthetics of the plate went well with the meal. It appeared to be very full and I looked forward to eating my pierogies and sauerkraut!
In order to see the difference a plate can make to the appearance of a meal, I transferred it onto the plate I have at home. I instantly felt the difference of space allowed in the center. In comparison to the mikasa plate, it looked slightly less appetizing and empty. Also, in contrast to the decorative rim in the mikasa plate which brought the attention to the center, the subtle decorative rim on the newer plate wasn't framing the food at all and in fact made the plate appear emptier than it was.
The differences are quite remarkable considering that at first glance both plates appear to be quite similar in size and function.
As a result of this experiment, I believe the decorative element in the mikasa plate was meant to make the center appear more abundant whereas in the newer plate the decorative element seems to be an afterthought and the focus is put on the abundance that can be placed onto the surface.
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