Just Curious-Always Wondered

Dave Hoskins

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Parker County, Texas
I have always wondered, and never asked or tried to find out, if there is some sorta rule of thumb that dictates what depth a vessel is a bowl or a dish. Generally, if it the piece turns out to have a depth of 1" or less I have called it a dish. Sounds silly seeing I've been turning all these years, but I never knew if there was a general rule of thumb on that. Anybody know or are there any thoughts on it? :huh:
 
I dunno? :dunno:

I'm not sure there is a hard and fast rule, somewhere in there it transitions to a plate as well.. but where to draw the line seems a bit arbitrary depending on all the proportions of the piece.

I guess if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck we can call it a duck even if its a robotic killing machine bent on world domination. Or if it looks like a bowl, works like a bowl then you could still call it a plate if that sold better... I suppose.
 
My very loose rule is that if it cannot hold enough soup for a meal, its a dish or a plate platter, but I'm talking about something soup bowl in diameter and up, not a very small bowl like you would put a side dish in.

Told you it was a loose rule :)
 
I don't think you can set any rules as it can depend on the intended use.
In general, I think of a bowl as having a rounded bottom where a dish would have an almost flat bottom regardless of the diameter and height.
If by dish you mean plate/platter then I think it depends on the base also. An item may be 8" diameter and 2" deep; if it has 1/3 as a base and curved bottom I would call it a bowl, if it had 2/3 -3/4 base and a flat bottom I would call it a platter/dish.
 
Now, Chuck! That answer makes all the sense in the world, and I can totally relate to it. All good answers which basically tell me that there ain't no real rule of thumb on it. My curiosity has been satiated. But, I did like what Ryan said about the robot. :D
 
So.. breaking this all down into a list.

Good for sandwiches - plate

Good for soup or fruit or fancy dress -> bowl

Good for M&Ms - bowl or dish

Good for dogfood - definitely dish.

Looks like a duck - run run for your lives!
 
Yeah, a bowl concentrates them in a pile so it is almost impossible to sort them into proper color rows to eat them in a civilized manner.

Oh I'd still sort them...

We were at a party once and there was this bowl of colored rocks. Being well into the ocd side i dumped them all out on the table and sorted them first by color and then by size and proceeded to layer them nicely back into the bowl. Apparently this wasn't strictly socially acceptable behavior as loml informed me after we had left.

I also sort potato chips and eat them smallest to largest.

It's nice to know I'm not alone.
 
True stories Dave, all true stories.

Although I can sympathize with the smallest potato chip first guys because I know you get the most topping on them that way; but that ain't me.. Nope I'll be savoring biggest chip last and testing my M&M's death match style[1] until the day I die (or can't cogitate well enough to figure the winner).

[1] http://laughlines.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/survival-of-the-fittest-mm/?_r=0

Man I wish I'd never read that article the first time. Sometimes you're just better off not knowing when somethings possible.

But keep turning them plates or bowls or dishes or whatever you want to call em and we'll be here for you!!
 
Ain't a thing wrong with what you said, Ryan! You just keep on keeping on with the smaller to bigger and don't ever try to change. uhuh I'll keep them thar shavings flying, too! Though I am getting a little wore out looking at hackberry at the moment. Oh, well. He's a good repeat customer and he likes it a lot.
 
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