I sat down here to talk about a short film the Charles Eames did about 'Covetables.' He talked about how we see unopened packages, and stacks of them, like reams of paper, boxes of chalk, balls of twine, and how that seems to get spoiled when we have to open them to use their wonderful contents. The patterns they make when closely held by their wrappers, how we can never get them back quite the same once they've been disturbed. I think of a box of crayons, that I want the colors arranged as they were when they came from the factory, all the perfect points aligned. And envelopes with a band of paper around the waist, fresh cut edges on the stationery that slightly sticks the pages together until we move the corner and they sigh and stretch as they disconnect. We love having containers that nest and stack, that share the same lids. A shelf of folded towels--a rainbow of sweet softness.

And yet I love a table set with beautiful bowls and platters all from different cultures and materials, each showing off the talent of its craftsman and the unique character of this expression. We choose a well worn, flattish turquoise dish for the yellow squash, a round orange vessel on a little ring will hold potatoes cut and boiled in their skins. The baby gets a sturdy little glass with a slightly decorated rim, special from the cupboard. How about that pretty cup with the funny grip for her brother? And let's use those little blue handled fruit knives tonight.