In the Need of New Dishes

Temperature only 5 degrees below zero, some sun, but very freezing due to the east wind.

We read some weeks ago from a newspaper that it's not good to use very old ceramic dishes as household goods daily, because they may contain harmful chemicals that have been used in their manufacture in the past. 

We have acquired very many old dishes during decades and still use some of them everyday. However, there isn't a reason to worry too much, it's just a matter of thinking what kind of chemical loads you want to expose yourself to during your life. We decided to throw very old, crackled plates and bowls away in any case, and buy some new for a long long time. 

Today we went to Arabia Center very near us. It's located in the old factory building of Arabia, one of the oldest porcelain manufacturers in Finland. Name 'Arabia' comes from the name of the district in Helsinki. Actually the place has grown during last years to a whole block, now called The Arabia135 block. It's a complex of more than 15 hectares. The old factory premises have gradually been converted to educational, cultural, office and commercial use. There are e.g. factory outlets and retail shops of several brand names of Finnish design.

We went there just in the right time, the dishes we had thought to buy were on sale at a good discount. After the great trade we, of course, went to the café in there to have a cup of coffee or tea with lemon cheesecake.

In the photo there is a huge picture hanging on the wall in the entrance hall of Arabia Center. It shows the old factory from the end of 1800s, I suppose.