Disposable Dinnerware: Who Would Have Thought
At first I felt funny writing about disposable dinnerware, because to me, it is as simple as picking up some paper plates and plastic flatware at the grocery store (a country girl I am!) However, when I started searching for disposable dishes it all came to light!
There are several reasons for using this fancified fake dinnerware. It gets much deeper than the fact that it is cool to watch paper plates burn in the campfire...
- Of course the number one reason is so that you don't have to wash dishes!
- You need matching dinnerware but do not have enough of one pattern for the number of guests you will be serving.
- You will be serving outdoors and don't want to take the chance of breaking your everyday dishes or china.
- You are a caterer and don't want to supply expensive dishes.
Believe it or not, disposable dishes and plastic ware come in styles with patterns that look just like fancy china and silverware. I've seen some that have gold or silver trim, perfect for a wedding reception. There are even some disposable plastic glasses that look like crystal, disposable dishes that look like Asian dinnerware - perfect for serving sushi and saké at a dinner party - as well as modern square dinnerware.
Now, once you handle the dishes, you will know they are plastic dinnerware, but they really look real when you first see them on the table. Real enough that some people who go to such dinner parties are so impressed that they take their dirty dishes home with them - they really do.
You can find this type of dinnerware through restaurant and catering suppliers, through party planners, or at a party shop. Most likely, you won't find this fancy fake dinnerware at a grocery store or a discount store. I had never seen it before until I went to a catered event where the caterer used them. Most catered events that I have been to used either real dishes or Styrofoam plates. I was amazed at the quality and aesthetics of the disposable dinnerware that the caterer used at a company party that I went to.
Now it makes sense to me to write about these high-class disposable dishes because really, they are not too commonly known about - at least not here in this small, country town. They can be very useful in catering a formal party where using fine china is impossible and you want something a little more elegant than standard disposable plates.
