Poisoning people, plate by plate.

Having three separate sets of dishes (no wait, that would be parts of three separate sets) of dishes for years, when I got a gift certificate for Home Hardware one of the things I got was a dish set. Corelle Hearthstone, Chili red, in the round. Nothing to go wrong there, right? I’d have matching dishes the next time people came over. As if anything that I touch can have nothing go wrong! What were you thinking?

Because when we got the box home, it was short one of everything. Clearly – although there was nothing on the box to suggest this – we got the box that had been used for the display. And since Home Hardware is at the far end of town, I had to wait until I had time to make the trip. They did, at least believe me. Not hard to do as the set was right there, on display!

So we decided to have people for supper, to use the lovely matching set. Which did happen, once. Because a mere two weeks after their inaugural use M. broke one of the dinner plates. So we have three of the Chili red, which makes it like the other sets that are not really sets.

I really did want to have things match, though, so I thought I’d buy the set I’d seen at Wal-mart. Same colour and shape, etc. But the box I’d seen was gone. In its place, though, was a warning about Corelle Indigo blue dinner plates, yellow plates and chili red lunch plates. Unsafe levels of lead, DON”T USE THEM. You’re killing your kids.

So my set was minus a dinner plate, and four lunch plates. Wal-Mart did have dinner plates in Chili red, but square. Huge and square, as it happens. So big that the cupboard doesn’t close. I bought two, and if we have the Hingstons over we can still match, I’ll just give my son and Grae the giant plates. Maybe I’ll buy one more, and we can have three and three. Or find a whole set somewhere (Home Hardware?) and use the giant plates for serving platters.

I also contacted Corelle; they’re mailing me new lunch plates, and sending a sticker back to send them the toxic ones we had been using.