Jan 26,2018
What should you serve on your favorite tableware? What tableware should you choose for your favorite food? Time spent reflecting on such questions is very special. In this series, “Tales of Tableware,” our guests share their stories of the tableware and food they love. We also ask them about their lifestyle, passions, and dreams.
“In the evening, I often have a light snack with a glass of white wine or sparkling wine. I hardly ever eat rice or bread.” So says Eto Aya, owner of Natsutsubaki, a gallery dealing in tableware and household utensils and ornaments.
Ideally, she would like to indulge in a little red wine, she adds with laugh, but she prefers fish to meat, so lately she opts for white. It washes down the fish nicely, she explains. There’s a glass of white wine on the table she’s set for us, along with a lacquerware plate and bowl.
On the plate, which is slightly larger than the palm of one’s hand, are slices of dry-cured ham, along with camembert cheese and muscat grapes. The bowl has a cabbage roll in it.
The deep vermilion hues of the lacquerware, an art form typically perceived as quintessentially Japanese, nicely set off the green of the muscats and the cabbage roll. The combination is strikingly novel.
“Yes, I suppose people might find it something of a novelty to serve this type of thing in lacquerware. These pieces strike you as sleeker and lighter than your typical lacquerware. The plate doesn’t have a foot, so it doesn’t look at all out of place used just like a Western-style plate. It’s perfect for serving an assortment of snacks or eating common side dishes like tamagoyaki omelet or spring rolls. I’m really fond of it. The bowls I use are about the size of a largish café au lait bowl. I use them routinely for serving a variety of dishes both Japanese and Western. I put cabbage rolls in them as I’ve done here, or serve stew in them or of course miso soup. They’re the right size for just about anything, so they often appear on our dining table.”
Lacquerware with its traditional Japanese image generally strikes one as solid and sturdy. Yet these pieces have a light, almost buoyant quality. That’s because they’re made using what’s called the kanshitsu or “dry-lacquer” technique, says Aya. Whereas ordinary lacquerware is made by manufacturing a wooden core and applying lacquer to it, the dry-lacquer technique dispenses with the wooden core. Instead, the object is fashioned from layers of hemp cloth and lacquer.
“While solid-looking wooden lacquerware certainly has its merits, the lightness and buoyancy of dry lacquerware are very appealing. These pieces are by Kamata Katsuji, an artist working in Ishikawa. He gives lacquerware a fresh look by constantly challenging himself in the medium of dry lacquer.”
Because Aya runs a gallery featuring wares by artists of all stripes, her dining table is, she says, a continuous testing ground for new ideas. Virtually every day brings new discoveries. She chances on novel pairings of food and tableware and gets to observe how tableware is nurtured by constant use.
“What I like is tableware that’s simple but has something to say. I’m always looking for new and unusual pairings of food and dishes that take your breath away.”
We asked Aya what to do when you have plain-looking tableware but want to add a fresh twist to your dining table.
“Try adding a single dish made of a different material: something of lacquer like this, or glass or wood or painted china. It will create a fresh impression by jazzing up the dining table. Dry lacquerware is equally handy whether you’re serving Japanese or Western food, whether it’s a special occasion or an everyday meal. Placing it on a tray or combining it with glass shows it in a different light. It never fails to create a fresh impression, so it can be enjoyed in a myriad ways.”
“If you’re incorporating lacquerware into your table setting for the first time, you might want to opt for something small. When I first used lacquer chopsticks, I was really struck by how soft they felt on the lips. It’s easy to get the feel of a utensil when it goes directly in your mouth, so a lacquer spoon might also be a good way to appreciate lacquer’s advantages. Want to buy an extra lacquerware item for your collection besides the old standards like chopsticks or bowls? Well, you can add an extra accent with something not too weighty or fancy that won’t look out of place on your dining table, like these pieces by Kamata Katsuji. Or you could go with something taller and sturdier. Either will transform your dining table and give it a whole new look.”
As Aya points out, it’s fun to discover eye-opening new combinations like these during your daily routine.
Owner of Natsutsubaki, a gallery dealing in tableware and household utensils and ornaments. She shares ideas for attractive yet practical pieces suitable for everyday use. Natsutsubaki will soon be moving to Kamakura. See the website for details.
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