Psychology of bowls and plates

Many of us remember that a middle-income Soviet family had at least two sets: for family meals and for holiday feasts. During the latter, there were always many plates on the tables: one for bread, another for salad, a third for the main course, a fourth for cold cuts.

Historian Helen Zoe Veith notes that the use of large numbers of utensils and specialized objects (such as a fish knife) reflected a traditional interest in separating food. Such table setting was a symbol of prosperity, the approaching capitalist order, a distinctive sign of the middle class. Food in a bowl is too strongly associated with poverty and rural lifestyle. Even now, when you think of a bowl, food distribution centers for the homeless may come to mind.

The American fashion for separate meals also played a role. Thanks to her, society has become convinced that mixing foods will lead to digestive problems. For a long time it was believed that only “pure” foods could be absorbed well. However, today bowls are becoming more and more in demand. In an interview, Veit notes that the concept of the plate began to lose its relevance towards the end of the twentieth century. In its place came a bowl, which is becoming more attractive every day. The big advantage of the bowl is that you can eat almost everything in it: noodles, dumplings, soup, salad. Our perception of food is influenced by many factors that we often do not pay attention to. They form expectations regarding the taste of a dish: the environment around us, lighting, temperature in the room, music, color of dishes, etc.

No less important in the process of eating food is the shape of the dishes. A bowl that we can lift and touch creates the impression of a satisfying dish. Food sitting in a bowl will likely taste more flavorful than food on your plate. The bowl creates a homely feeling, it lacks the element of formality that a plate has. When eating food from a plate, we always monitor whether we are holding the knife and fork correctly and whether we are applying enough force when cutting.

Of course, the increased fashion for bowls cannot cause the disappearance of plates and saucers from our lives. Some dishes won't be served in bowls for the foreseeable future. It’s hard to imagine a flavorful steak in a soup bowl; it will look much more appetizing on a black plate.