Dirty Dishes

I don’t know about you, but I’d pay good money to see the look on my mother’s face if I whipped out a set of dinnerware painted with a cheeky naked lady motif. Shocking. Or how about a new “Democrat” coffee mug, adorned with illustrations of Clinton and Kennedy, for your smugly conservative boss? Unheard of. And may I suggest a set of “We Do” dishes, featuring two brides or two grooms in wedded bliss, for your less-than-tolerant brother? Scandalous! Personally, I’m going to buy the whimsically gruesome Alice in Wonderland dinner plates complete with the Cheshire Cat sitting on its head, and the set of tumblers featuring the Mad Hatter and Talking Spades. Eat Me. Drink Me. Yes, yes, indeed.

I’m going to break the “buy local” rule here at [FLY] in order to bring the fabulous wares of Fishs Eddy to your table. Just this once. The company—a New York institution that takes its name from the tiny upstate hamlet—is known round the globe for its witty and often defiant ceramic designs. And while you may not be able to pick them up at a Jackson boutique, you will find it fairly simple to log on to the company’s easy-to-browse-and-spend-oodles-of-dough website.

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A few months ago I espied said Alice designs in an Urban Outfitters in Madison, WI. Not having the cash to buy them at the time, I spent weeks agonizing over such a mistake because I hadn’t been able to find them anywhere since. And then one serendipitous afternoon I came across them quite by accident whilst looking up the term “eddy” online for a poem I was writing. Thank Jesus for my poor Interwebs researching skills. Nested terms? Um, notsomuch. Sandwiched between maps of Fishs Eddy, NY, and wiki definitions of eddy currents, there lay the little beacon of hope I’d been searching for all along, Fishs Eddy: purveyor of new and antique sturdy-ware. I felt like a child who’d just discovered the golden key to the universe. Do Not Click the Big Shiny Red Candy-Colored Button!* But of course you know I clicked it. And take me to that magical website promptly, it did indeed.

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Seriously, unless you inherit some Franciscan Wild Rose from grannie, who the heck wants to save up (or register) for fancy dishes you’ll only bring out once a year? Forget that man! I say, waltz to the table with your turkey on a platter graced by Gorey-esque Jordan Awan illustrations. And serve your pie and caffeine in the hilarious Brooklynese Cawffee mugs with a little shuguh and creamuh on the side. Any complaints from the in-laws, and you can bet I’ll serve my next brunch quiche on some very skanky naked lady plates. 😉

*Now there’s a thought; why don’t those brilliant potters create a Ren & Stimpy line of cereal bowls and coffee mugs? I’ll have to suggest that

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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.