Do you use China?

[Janeway]

I picked my parents’ Fiestaware over the China, but had been given first pick. I have always wanted China, but the Fiestaware seems so practical and a good choice. I would probably use the China on holidays. Do you use China? Do you want to if you don’t?

[Pawz4me]

No. I never wanted any. I’ll take Correlle over china or Fiestaware any day. I like easy and simple. 

[itsheresomewhere]

I have a hobby of collecting , selling and I do use China.  My everyday dishes are fiestaware.  My China comes out once or twice a month and my Christmas China comes out before thanksgiving.

If you will use it, I would take it.  If you are not going to use it but want have a piece of it for memories-  take a 5 piece set ( plate, cup, saucer, salad plate, and bowl) or just a cup/saucer and put it on display in your house.  

Edited February 20, 2023 by itsheresomewhere

[Wilma]

I have never had or wanted China. Fiestaware is great for me - 20 years in, I still adore it.

[MrsMommy]

I do, on holidays and any other day we deem special. We didn't register for china before our wedding, and I didn't think I wanted any because I was certain we'd have no use for it. DH's parents downsized and gave us their set, and I absolutely love it. Part of it is that it comes with a lovely story, but I also really love setting a pretty table on special occasions.

[Katy]

I used to have a couple sets, but when I learned about lead leaching into the food I got a couple swabs from the hardware store.  It was positive for lead in the glaze so I donated all of it.

[mom2scouts]

I have china from my husband's parents and grandparents. We use it on holidays. My everyday stuff is a bunch of chipped, mismatched stuff, so it's nice to bring out something better for holiday celebrations.

[Arcadia]

I do use china/porcelain bowls, cups, saucers, spoons and teapots since young. We have some sets that are more for when having guests because those are complete sets, and we have the odds and ends items that are for daily use.

ETA: complete sets and daily use are from Villeroy & Boch. Those we use for the microwave are from Daiso’s made in japan series.

Edited February 21, 2023 by Arcadia

[Jean in Newcastle]

Yes. 

[kristin0713]

If I could do it over, I would not have registered for it for my wedding. But I did and it’s gorgeous so we use it at holidays. 

[barnwife]

No. My mom has multiple sets (her mom's, my paternal grandma's, one she got from a free box once, and her own that was gifted to her). I want none of it. My paternal grandmother's set is beautiful but I don't want that responsibility. My mom's set is ugly (sorry, mom) imo. I can't remember what my other grandma's set looks like. The set from a free box is plain white.

I prefer easy dishes that I don't have to stress over taking care of them. Also, as popular as Fiestaware is, it's heavy. I don't want to feel like I'm weightlifting when I am setting the table. I am a Corelle person. And ours is whatever random pieces we've gleaned at garage sales/secondhand stores.

Unless I was sentimentally attached to either set, I'd turn both down. 

[rebcoola]

No I have corella that is practical for everyday and looks pretty for a holiday or nice event.  

[Starr]

We use our wedding china from time to time. I think you will enjoy the Fiestaware and use it more often. People aren’t taking their parents/grandparents china as often these days.  There is lots of china at thrift stores that is lovely and cheap if you want a set. 

[kirstenhill]

I use my china (received as wedding gifts) a few times a year. I enjoy pulling it out for special holiday meals or birthdays! 

[KungFuPanda]

I briefly thought about picking up some holiday China. It’s so cheap now that the thrift stores are loaded with the stuff. It seemed fun, but I ended up going with stoneware snowman dishes because I can use them all winter.
 

I’d have a hard time giving up my corelle. I’ve had it for over 15 years and I like not being at all careful. I do look for the bisque colored pieces in the thrift stores when I think of it because I think they only make white now. 

[Bootsie]

I have my great aunt's china, which is about 100 years old.  I really like the look of it and I do use it occassionally.  DH's grandmother had a hobby of china painting and we have gobs of that china.  It isn't a matching set but a lot of different pieces; we use that quite a bit.

[itsheresomewhere]

21 minutes ago, Starr said:

We use our wedding china from time to time. I think you will enjoy the Fiestaware and use it more often. People aren’t taking their parents/grandparents china as often these days.  There is lots of china at thrift stores that is lovely and cheap if you want a set. 

Depending on your area, it has become popular especially certain sets. But a lot want mix and match China sets.  I have sold so much for bridal and baby showers in the past year.  

[catz]

I do and I love it.  I like being able to do a fancy set up.   
 

that said, fiesta is our daily use stuff and I adore that.  It is a workhorse!   Have been using like 20+ years and have only broken a couple things in that time.  

[City Mouse]

I used to use our china occasionally when we had my MIL’s china cabinet, but then we moved to a smaller house. The china is now in boxes in our storage shed 

[Spryte]

We had a lot of china, and I freecycled all of it when we realized it had lead. I sometimes feel a pang about it, but remember the lead and let it go.

We use out Fiesta daily.

[Clarita]

I would love a beautiful mis-matched tea set. Otherwise I have a strict must be dishwasher safe for dishes we use. I have a set of nice flatware and I do have nice matching everyday dishes. I doll all that up with napkins and placemats and fancy food. 

I'll probably get my MIL's set of China that she never uses. Hopefully she'll give me the hutch with it so I have somewhere to display it.

[prairiewindmomma]

We use the nice stuff on holidays. I have inherited china and silver.  Some of the silver pieces have been passed through seven generations at this point. We use it because of the fond memories, not to be fancy. Fiesta ware isn’t my vibe, but those who like it seem to really love it.

[LucyStoner]

Once or twice a year.  If we had a formal dining room and room to store it in reach, I’d be using it more.  

Our everyday stuff is fiestaware, a mix of all different colors.  

[Shoeless]

I have my grandma's china and my great grandma's silverplate flatware. We use it on holidays. It makes me happy 🙂 

I have Corelle for every day. Prior to 2020, I had some heavy stoneware that I got from an estate sale for dirt cheap, but it was big and heavy. The Corelle fits in the dishwasher better. 

[theelfqueen]

I have China... it isn't fancy, and it lives in its box in storage.

My everyday dishes are handmade pottery from an Artisan in Georgia. They're lovely and we have been using them 20 years. We just always use them. 

[R828]

12 minutes ago, theelfqueen said:

I have China... it isn't fancy, and it lives in its box in storage.

My everyday dishes are handmade pottery from an Artisan in Georgia. They're lovely and we have been using them 20 years. We just always use them. 

That plate is gorgeous!! Could you share the name of the artisan? 

[Carol in Cal.]

We love our China—Osborne by Wedgwood.  We don’t use it often but it’s always special when we do.

In your shoes I would have taken the China.  I don’t love Fiesta ware.  It’s very heavy, some of the older colors are not food safe, and I don’t really like how deep the plates are.  My ideal everyday wear would either be a bunch of mix and match white pieces from Cost Plus and Ikea, or Botanical Gardens by Portmeirian.  

[Laura Corin]

I don't think Fiesta Ware is popular here. We have cheap pottery - mostly IKEA.

Edited February 20, 2023 by Laura Corin

[popmom]

Yes. Every single day. I’m very pro fine china. I wish I could collect several patterns! 

I grew up eating on Royal Doulton fine bone china every single day and never thought anything of it. I didn’t know any different. My mother registered for the same exact pattern her mother had. That was their casual china. Grandmommy had Haviland formal china. My mother, Lenox. 
 

For all of my mother’s flaws, she did talk me into registering for both casual and formal bone china when I married in 1992. My formal china is Lenox which I only use at holidays. My everyday dishes are Wedgwood Strawberry and Vine. I have used those dishes every single day for 30 years and they still look like new. My mother was correct on that one. 
 

I believe dishes have sadly gone the way of “fast fashion”. Fine bone china (lower case “c”. We aren’t talking about the country.) should not be reserved for special occasions in my opinion. 🙂
 

Fine china is far more durable and practical than stoneware or porcelain. It is a worthwhile investment. 
 

ETA: technically my Lenox formal pattern isn’t “bone” china which is why Lenox has that more ivory/tan color than Wedgwood or Royal Doulton. I’m not clear on the difference exactly, but I do think my Lenox is a bit softer and more prone to scratches than bone china.

Pros for china: thinner than stoneware (such as fiesta) while being much less likely to chip.

Thinner/finer means less bulk—takes up less space. 
 

I’m not against stoneware. my daughters were gifted a set of Fransciscan Desert Rose when they went to college. I think it’s beautiful and has held up remarkably well with college students. 🙂

Dd1 getting married this spring is registering for a Wedgwood casual china. ((YAY!)) If she wants to add a formal pattern later, she’ll have her pick of vintage since no one seems interested these days. 

Edited February 20, 2023 by popmom

[popmom]

1 hour ago, Shoeless said:

I have my grandma's china and my great grandma's silverplate flatware. We use it on holidays. It makes me happy 🙂 

I have Corelle for every day. Prior to 2020, I had some heavy stoneware that I got from an estate sale for dirt cheap, but it was big and heavy. The Corelle fits in the dishwasher better. 

I much prefer Corelle to stoneware for the same reason. I have several plates and bowls of Corelle. It’s pretty amazing stuff. I got some because I try to minimize putting my Wedgwood in the microwave. The only piece of Wedgwood I’ve broken in 30 years was a salad plate I put in the microwave. I was reheating something on medium, and the plate cracked in half. It was the microwave cycling on and off that did it. 

[popmom]

About vintage china and lead…

The china I grew up eating off of everyday had lead. Because it was used every single day it did wear down. My mother threw it away when I was a teenager because of the exposed lead possibly leaching into food. 
 

I have a set of my MIL’s very old Noritake china. Obviously it contains lead. I still use it on special occasions. It’s not worn, so I have no qualms about enjoying it. 

[Carrie12345]

No. “My” China is my parents’ wedding China, and they’re divorced, but it is pretty. I’ve forgotten what it’s called, but the pattern is gray and silver, which IS very me, even if China isn’t.

It has sat in a box for almost 23 years now, because I’ve never had anywhere to put it.  Now I have room, but it’s towards the end of my long project list, so it’ll be a while longer. I won’t display the whole set, but a few pieces will go out.

It was used for special occasions when I was growing up. Our everyday dishes were the gold butterflies. 😁

[HomeAgain]

I have moved 16 times in my adult life.  Our dinnerware reflects that. 😂 Right now we have a conglomeration of white dishes and servingware for everyday use.  For holidays I have a set for 8: pretty plates, bowls, etc.  and shallow serving bowls.  We found them on clearance one year and figured they'd hold up long enough to find something we really wanted.  Well, that was 6 moves ago and they're well settled in our home, so I doubt we'll move on from them until something breaks.

I think, honestly, this fits us better than getting a set of china.  The white has a quiet elegance and flexibility to it, since we can just add whatever dish we need.  The pretty set works with the daily white to mix and match, and I'll never feel like I can't hand it to a small child that wants to help.  And, I don't need a lot of cabinet space to store two completely different sets of tableware, so we save room overall.

[Eos]

Yes.  I've used stoneware and don't like how heavy it is.

[Guest]

No. I wish I didn’t have any but so far dh has not accepted the idea of me getting rid of our wedding china. However, it has been boxed in the basement for several years. 
 

My every-day dishes are carefully chosen Corelle. I like this much better; it goes in the dishwasher fine and if something breaks (which has only happened like three times in thirty years), it’s no biggie. 
 

In my early years, I did use my china often but I never had enough sets to use it for guests, so…sort of self-limiting issue there. 

[MEmama]

3 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

I don't think Fiesta Ware is popular here. We have cheap pottery - mostly IKEA.

Same. I prefer lightweight, plain white plates and bowls. And I never have to worry about chips because it's inexpensive to replace.

I own china that I inherited from my grandmother. We never use it; it's one of those things in the basement I'd like to get rid of but forget about. If it has lead I'd rather throw it away than donate it though. That possibility wasn't on my radar before this thread, when I get motivated I'll bag it all up and toss it guilt free.

Edited February 20, 2023 by MEmama

[J-rap]

Yes. I grew up when you thought you had to have wedding china and silverware on a gift registry.  My dh and I wanted things very simple, so those are the only two things we had on our registry (no one had much listed on their registry though back then), so we got a very simple, all-white pattern.

I only use it for special events/holidays, but I'm kind of glad I have it.  It bumps up the occasion a little, and the plain white means I can put the color in everything else -- napkins, flowers, etc.  Our everyday dishes have come and go a few times, but I expect our china to least throughout our lives. 

We'll also inherit my parents and both sets of grandparents' china eventually -- which I"ll pass down to my children if they want it.  None of my children are interested in getting their own new china, but the idea of having some that has been passed down through our families seems special to them.

 

[J-rap]

37 minutes ago, MEmama said:

Same. I prefer lightweight, plain white plates and bowls. And I never have to worry about chips because it's inexpensive to replace.

I own china that I inherited from my grandmother. We never use it; it's one of those things in the basement I'd like to get rid of but forget about. If it has lead I'd rather throw it away than donate it though. That possibility wasn't on my radar before this thread, when I get motivated I'll bag it all up and toss it guilt free.

I wonder how you find out if old china has lead in it?

[Grace Hopper]

Yes. I have heirloom china, flatware, crystal and depression glass pieces that we use on holidays and sometimes just because. I love it but I have a place to store it. If I didn’t have a dish closet I would have kept fewer pieces. 

[ScoutTN]

Yes. Love to use pretty things often.

[MEmama]

48 minutes ago, J-rap said:

I wonder how you find out if old china has lead in it?

Apparently inexpensive lead testing strips are available at big box hardware stores (I just read that so can't verify, though it makes sense). I'd be interested in hearing about experiences using a testing kit.

[marbel]

Since I have been married, we've always used china. When my husband and I combined households, he had china from his first marriage, a very plain cream (bordering on beige) color Wedgwood. We also registered for something a little finer, which I love but we don't use much because it can't go in the dishwasher. It was discontinued shortly after we started buying it, so we only have 6 place settings. Still, it's enough for us and I bring it out on special days.

I never really loved that Wedgwood, but didn't dislike it enough to get rid of it. But, all the chipped and crazed bits finally got to me, and I wanted something bright white instead of the cream. It happened that Costco had a set of Mikasa china in their coupon book so I bought that. It was relatively inexpensive and a nice change from the beige stuff. It is dishwasher-safe, and feels sturdy. 

I also had some vintage Wedgwood that my mother had bought piece-by-piece as grocery store premiums back in the 60s. I love the pattern and hauled it around with me every time I moved for years even though I never used it, till finally this year I inspected it and it too was in bad shape. I kept the few perfect pieces and tossed the rest. 

I don't find china any more troublesome than stoneware, which is what I had when I was married the first time.

 

Edited February 20, 2023 by marbel

[mmasc]

I don’t, but only because I don’t have any. I ***adore*** dishes, so I’m certain I’d love nice china, but only if I liked the pattern. I currently use all white fiesta ware and really love it. However, I did actually notice just last week how heavy the stack of plates were when I went to put them up. Guess my hands are getting older and noticing such things. I will say, though, that I’m not a big fan of the more common fiesta ware sets. I like the bistro style. I have some luncheon plates too in fun colors, but all other pieces are white. If I had about $150 to drop on some dishes, I’d probably add these lovely plates to my everyday dishes. 
 

Do you like the fiesta set you chose? Do you think you’ll use them? I’d pick the fiesta dishes in your shoes, unless I either 1) absolutely loved the china pattern or 2) it had sentimental value to me. 

[freesia]

I do have china and use it on holidays. I love it. My regular kind is mismatched stuff I don’t love but don’t care if it breaks. When the kids are gone, we’ll use a pfaltzgraff set I have. I do have my great grandmothers china in the attic but only use the candle holders. 

[MercyA]

No, I much prefer dishes I can put in the dishwasher. Corelle takes up so little space in the cupboard and dishwasher and is very durable. I have a set from the 1980's that my mom purchased at a garage sale and some other random pieces I've gathered from here and there. I also have a Corelle Christmas set that is very pretty. I have no qualms about storing it because it only takes up half of one top shelf!  

[SKL]

I have a beautiful set of china that I got when my grandma died.

I've never used it.

My folks always used the "good china" for holiday meals ... in fact, they still do.  I don't know why I don't.

[lauraw4321]

My mom wanted to buy herself another set of fine China so she gave me her wedding set. I use it Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving. 

[happi duck]

We have Christmas china that we use from Thanksgiving to February 2 (or 14 if we didn't get around to switching).

I have my late mom's china via one of my late sisters.  I have some displayed.  Lead concerns me so I only use a serving dish here or there.  

[Serenade]

8 hours ago, theelfqueen said:

I have China... it isn't fancy, and it lives in its box in storage.

My everyday dishes are handmade pottery from an Artisan in Georgia. They're lovely and we have been using them 20 years. We just always use them. 

Those are beautiful!  

[Serenade]

16 minutes ago, happi duck said:

We have Christmas china that we use from Thanksgiving to February 2 (or 14 if we didn't get around to switching).

 

This is what we do.