Bride needs Asian ware, not china

Mar. 22--In the United States, many brides-to-be must confront a question, usually posed by a department-store saleswoman: "Have you registered for china?"

When asked, I hesitated. An hour later, we'd created a beautiful place setting: Wedgwood flatware, Waterford china with a double-platinum rim and an accent plate from Royal Doulton.

It was seductive, and I almost added it to the registry. But something wasn't right. I couldn't figure out my ambivalence until later, while talking to a friend.

"Why am I stressing so much over china?" I told her. "I'm not even European."

That's when the realization hit: For the holidays, I need soy-sauce bottles; flat, ceramic soup spoons for dumplings; decorative rice servers; and dipping bowls for Asian condiments.

In short, I need Eastern dishes for special occasions -- not china. Luckily for me, Asian tableware is all the vogue.

You'll see interpretations of it at Williams-Sonoma, where the Zen line features rice bowls, square platters and dipping bowls in white porcelain. Pottery Barn's Asian Square Collection features square dishes in colored stoneware. Even Riedel, known for its high-end wine glasses, is pushing tapered glass vessels and cups for sake.

New cookbooks also reflect a rising interest in Asian tableware â?? particularly Japanese. In "Harumi's Japanese Cooking," Harumi Kurihara points out the variety of dishware.

"An important part of the cook's job is choosing the best dish for each recipe, as the correct dish will complete the picture of the meal," Kurihara writes. "In addition to ceramics, we have glass, lacquer, metal and wooden dishes. â?¦ Those of you who are familiar with sushi will have probably seen the beautiful wooden plates that are often used to serve it on."

"Unlike Western tableware," she adds, "the pieces don't have to match."

The gorgeous photos of Japanese tableware in "Harumi's Japanese Cooking," and "Washoku: Recipes From the Japanese Home Kitchen" prompted a visit to downtown Fresno's Central Fish Co., which sells the largest collection of Japanese dishes in Fresno.

After explaining my problems with china and describing the Filipino holiday food my family serves, saleswoman Kiyoko Travis Uehara waved her hand at the tableware around us.

"You're better off with this stuff," she says.

She was right for the most part, except that I wouldn't buy quite so many dishes. Bamboo plates carry soba noodles or tempura -- and if you use them for tempura, you should place decorative paper on the plate before putting the tempura on top. The square platters are for sashimi, and the small, flat plates are for salads and accompaniments such as pickled ginger. The tiny bowls are for dipping sauces, the small bowls for rice, and the larger bowls for noodle soups, she adds.

Plus, there's the seasonality aspect to Japanese dishware. Those bamboo plates are for summer, as is a beautiful white platter with painted blue lines, Uehara says. For springtime, she would choose plates with cherry blossoms. For autumn and winter, darker-glazed plates and lacquerware would be appropriate.

The variety of Japanese tableware is so overwhelming that I can't begin to choose the best pieces for a Filipino holiday table. But it feels a lot more fun than china â?? a fact that probably wouldn't surprise Kurihara.

"I think in the West many people buy themselves one set of matching china and never change it or add to it, despite the inevitable changes in taste and fashion," Kurihara writes. "You should use a variety of different tableware at any one time. â?¦ It is a fantastic way of tapping into your own creativity."

The columnist can be reached at jobra@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6365.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Fresno Bee, Calif.

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