04.Jul.2013 GNS: {Indicate specific type, e.g., candy, serving} dishes

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Part II: Elaboration

Definition revisited:  Merriam-Webster defines a “dish” as, “a more or less concave vessel from which food is served.”  The concave aspect of the definition likely derives from its etymology (from the Latin discus).

Can vary in size without limitation: Dishes can be extraordinarily large and still be considered a dish.  Consider very very large dishes, such as “The Dish” as well as quite possibly the world’s largest dish.  Consider very very small dishes; dollhouse miniature dishes.  Although note that dish sizes usually are loosely tied to the size of a portion of food for a human.

Varies less in terms of shape:  On the other hand, shape is important and there is a point at which a dish stops being a dish and instead ventures into the vast wilderness of dinnerware. Notable exceptions: soap dishes and butter dishes, both which mirror the shape of their respective quadrilateral contents.

Concavity:  Note that another aspect of concavity is that the dish has some depth.  For food dishes, the purpose is to ostensibly prevent food from falling off the edge of the dish.  Query whether a dish can have extremely steep sides with little or no flat bottom (V-shaped).  Dishes without a rim (despite being circular) are platters (not dishes).  Dishes that are convex are upside-down dishes.

Recommendation:  The word “dish” should only be used to refer to circular flat-bottomed vessels.  The word, “plate” should be used more broadly to encompass “dishes” but also include non-circular vessels.  Takery sez, “All dishes are plates but not all plates are dishes.”

Materials:  Any material acceptable as long as it is solid.  Edible dishes OK.  Actually preferred.  Edible candy dishes made of candy; here, here, and here. Edible satellite dishes.  When will “doing the dishes” be meaningless?  With dishwashers and edible dishes now this really doesn’t make sense anymore. Obsolete.  Candy dishes made for specific candy. Why not. Like beer glasses or wine glasses. Meant to accentuate the flavor of a particular candy.