■“Bowl and plate”
Bowls and plates are the foundation of serving dishes. I believe the first plates ever used were pieces of split wood. Food was eaten off of leaves or wooden boards. These were used for solid food. And the idea of bowls, I believe, originated from the act of making a cup with one’s hands to scoop up water. The hands were eventually replaced by a half of a coconut shell, and then by bowls made with clay or wood. 

Because a bowl is a tool held by the hand and used to carry food to the mouth, it is important to consider how its texture feels against the hand and mouth. The plate, on the other hand, is like a mat placed under food in order to keep the food clean when placed on a rock or the ground.

A culture based on plates flourished in the west, while a culture of bowls grew in Japan.

The use of chopsticks did not develop in the western world where dishes were widely used. Since western people do not pick up their dishes, knives, forks, and spoons evolved as tools to carry food to the mouth. In Japan, because it is not impolite to bring the bowl to one’s mouth, chopsticks were born.

When larger bowls are created, they become pots or large rice bowls. While the large rice bowls are of course still considered a kind of bowls, the pots may be best classified as evolved plates. Since bowls were developed from the idea of a cupped hand, they are not made bigger than the size of a hand.

While a plate can be considered a mere part of a table, a bowl is like a palm, and therefore has deeper ties with physical sensation. Its weight, shape, and texture are very important. Plates and bowls both serve as the backdrop for the prepared food, but bowls go beyond that. They possess certain deep considerations and ideologies.

Bowls and plates are the origins of dishes.

 * There is a lead time of about 1 month before delivery now.