# Use "the good one" every day, or save it for special occasions? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 4, 2020, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-the-good-one-every-day-or-save-it-for-special-occasions/927215 "2020-12-04T17:50:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2020, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-the-good-one-every-day-or-save-it-for-special-occasions/927215/21 "2020-12-05T17:39:34Z")
Denny, don’t take the brown one to Woodstock. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2020, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-the-good-one-every-day-or-save-it-for-special-occasions/927215/22 "2020-12-05T17:50:26Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > So when my car is back together and I might take it to an English car show the black one will be for everyday driving and the brown cap for show only. Ha! You win the thread as far as the goofiest special/everyday item! 😃 (I used to drive an old car - but a beater. I know how crazy some folk get about authenticity!) ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2020, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-the-good-one-every-day-or-save-it-for-special-occasions/927215/23 "2020-12-05T18:41:17Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > We have some wine glasses that are just exquisite, but they are also delicate. We drink wine with dinner almost every night but we use our generic, sturdy wineglasses. If we used the nice glasses every night a few would have been broken along the way. > > I’m using the good ones tonight, though. What kayaker said. Not because I’m afraid of breaking them in use, per se, but they are a pain in the ass to clean. Handwash, one at a time, nothing else in the sink or nearby, being very careful. Other glasses are about as good, more durable, and with a lower replacement cost should accidents happen, so I use those usually instead. Company’s coming over, OTOH? Use the good china and crystal. It’s better aesthetically (functionally too, if we’re talking about teacups) and you only go around once, why not enjoy it? ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2020, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-the-good-one-every-day-or-save-it-for-special-occasions/927215/24 "2020-12-05T18:42:09Z")
They _are_ “flow blue” but they are not “Blue Willow,” as the two categories can overlap but aren’t synonymous. (I was too lazy to find the exact pattern before, but [here is a picture of exactly the dishes I inherited](https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/flow-blue-9-plate-opaque-luneville-france) - as you can see, that’s not Blue Willow.) Not sure where my parents got the idea that they were Blue Willow. Obviously, they did not know what Blue Willow means. (They also thought the goblets were incredibly valuable, which they are not.) A friend who dabbles in antique dealing thinks that they were probably hoodwinked by disreputable sellers when they were a young couple shopping for interesting pieces to decorate their home with. They shared a love of antiques, though no special knowledge, so an enterprising dealer probably talked a good story and they bought it, both literally and figuratively. It’s only because of the internet that I know any better. I believed everything my parents said until I got curious to know more and educated myself on line. It doesn’t matter to me at all that the pieces aren’t financially valuable - they ARE old, and they have lots of memories for me, so I’m happy. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2020, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-the-good-one-every-day-or-save-it-for-special-occasions/927215/25 "2020-12-05T18:46:22Z")
That’s very cool. If I were to start collecting something now, it would probably be Bakelite objects. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2020, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-the-good-one-every-day-or-save-it-for-special-occasions/927215/26 "2020-12-05T18:51:54Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > Mostly, I use it. However, I have some nice bone china dinner plates with a gold rim, and some nice champagne flutes that have a gold rim and are very delicate. I only use these for guests because if I put them in the dishwasher the gold will wear off. I know this from a previous set of glassware that I routinely put in the dishwasher. Since I am not wild about washing dishes by hand, I save the plates for occasions when I would otherwise not have enough matching plates and then I use only the nice plates. > > Now that I think of it, there are only two of those champagne glasses left. I guess I am saving those for that occasion, whatever it is, when we throw them into the fireplace after the toast. > > I must confess I am a little intrigued about the idea of special occasion guns. Hmmm… [BBQ Guns](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=BBQ%20Gun) are a thing. Not something I understand, but different things for different people. The engraving and inlays on fine firearms can be absolutely amazing to see. If you’re ever in Houston, Texas, and looking at fine artistic work on guns is something that might appeal to you, I highly recommend stopping inside of _[Collectors Firearms](https://www.collectorsfirearms.com/)_ new showroom. It’s huge. (They took over a space that used to be a large Barnes and Noble.) If you’ve ever wanted to pick up a Purdey double rifle, inlaid with gold and ivory, depicting a Cape Buffalo hunt, that’s your place. I’ve never bought anything from them—it’s more a museum than a store, unless you need _that one gun_—but it’s still a great place to windowshop. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2020, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-the-good-one-every-day-or-save-it-for-special-occasions/927215/27 "2020-12-05T19:28:18Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > they ARE old, and they have lots of memories for me, so I’m happy. Your flow blue dishes are beautiful! I have two different ones-thrift ship treasures-adorning my 1880s mantel. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2020, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-the-good-one-every-day-or-save-it-for-special-occasions/927215/28 "2020-12-05T19:30:40Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > The engraving and inlays on fine firearms can be absolutely amazing to see. Thanks for the BBQ guns link. I enjoyed learning about those. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2020, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-the-good-one-every-day-or-save-it-for-special-occasions/927215/29 "2020-12-05T21:24:54Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > We have some wine glasses that are just exquisite, but they are also delicate. We drink wine with dinner almost every night but we use our generic, sturdy wineglasses. If we used the nice glasses every night a few would have been broken along the way. > > I’m using the good ones tonight, though. This is pretty much me. Other than barware, the good stuff gets used all the time. Partally because over the years we got rid of the truly exquisite impractical stuff like fine china wedding gifts as unusably fussy and also got rid of lots of bought for cheap at Penney’s. So what’s left is pretty uniformly nice to very-nice by our standards. As to barware in general its’s just the really tall extra delicate glasses that wait for special occasions. As to wine glasses specifically, I’ve become a real fan of things like this: [https://www.riedel.com/en-us/shop/o-wine-tumbler/cabernet-041400098](https://www.riedel.com/en-us/shop/o-wine-tumbler/cabernet-041400098) Riedel is nice quality, but the lack of the stem makes them far safer for clumsy drinkers whether sober, wasted, or anywhere in between. You can bump them pretty good without tipping or breaking them. It also wastes less wine that way. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2020, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-the-good-one-every-day-or-save-it-for-special-occasions/927215/30 "2020-12-06T02:09:30Z")
Monday = least favorite clothes for work. Friday = most favorite/comfortable. That’s about it for me. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2020, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-the-good-one-every-day-or-save-it-for-special-occasions/927215/31 "2020-12-06T15:48:50Z")
I see the utility, but fingerprints on the bowl would bug me, and I don’t know if your fingers would warm the wine appreciably. Maybe not. Agreed that Riedel is rather overpriced for what you get, and I find their stems more fragile than similar ones from Schott-Zweisel or Spiegelau. It may be psychological. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that they’re all made in the same factory in Central Germany and given different brand names, but that’s been my experience. I managed to get a bunch of old ‘restaurant quality’ Vinum Burg and Bord stems from a liquidation sale, and those work well. Lots cheaper too than the ridiculous 35-55 a stem they cost new, now. Still really like my Sommelier stems though. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2020, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-the-good-one-every-day-or-save-it-for-special-occasions/927215/32 "2020-12-06T16:06:08Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > I don’t know if your fingers would warm the wine appreciably. Hot fingers would be an issue for sure while drinking a white at a standing-around style cocktail party. Given that I live in hot Florida and when at home I and the guests are 90+% sitting with a table to hand, it’s not a big issue; whites warm too quickly whether touched by grubby hands or not. The fingerprints / palmprints _are_ a detractor. But the fix is super easy. Just take off your reading glasses and those disappear too. 😉 Agree that high end restaurant-ware is the best trick. Made to be super-durable while looking plenty elegant enough. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2020, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-the-good-one-every-day-or-save-it-for-special-occasions/927215/33 "2020-12-07T01:46:12Z")
We currently have a den and formal living room at my home. The living room furniture was more expensive and rarely used. It looks almost new. The den furniture shows a lot of wear and stains from raising a family. We haven’t resorted to throwing a bed spread over it. Yet! We’ll down size in the next few years. The den furniture will be given away. Our new and smaller home will probably have a single multi purpose family room. I’d like to sell the formal living room furniture. Buy some comfortable new stuff for our later years. Two recliners will be needed. 🙂 But that decision has to be made by my wife and I. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2020, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-the-good-one-every-day-or-save-it-for-special-occasions/927215/34 "2020-12-07T12:27:46Z")
My FIL brought my MIL a Wedgewood china set decades ago. In the 37 years I’ve been part of this family, I think she’s used it twice. When we visited them recently, I happened to open a cabinet and saw one of the plates broken in half on the shelf. I’m sure he spent a lot of money on the set way back then, but it’s mostly been a dust-collector, and none of their sons want it. She specifically asked me if I’d like it after she dies, and I declined. I don’t need another dust collector. On the other hand, my mother has a couple of sets of honest-to-goodness silver. Even when I was a kid, she would have us use it frequently, saying there was no sense in having something she didn’t use. The only difference between that and the everyday flatware was that we had to account for all the pieces before the trash went out. Lesson learned after she lost a spoon. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2020, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-the-good-one-every-day-or-save-it-for-special-occasions/927215/35 "2020-12-07T14:40:15Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > We do drink the scotch and wine. Not saving that for a special day. 🙂 Every day is a special day with scotch and wine. 🙂 And I hear you about the china - the super nice stuff I have sounds similar to yours: hand-painted, gold rim, etc. But if I’ve got to handwash it, I’m not gonna use it unless I really want to. Plus, we were given four sets and I refuse to purchase more. AND, I tend to break most things I touch. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-the-good-one-every-day-or-save-it-for-special-occasions/927215.md?page=1)