Chargers?!

A while ago I did an entry about shams, those decorative pillows that sit behind the real pillows that you're not supposed to use for some reason. So last week I learned about "chargers."

For you uninitiated, charger plates are the sham of the dinner table; they're oversized plates that sit under the real plates and are removed as soon as food is served. One website even said that "there are metal, card, papier maché, rattan and even leather charger plates."


I think it goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway: What the hell. Who needs a decorative, non-usable plate under your real plate? Are your real plates not nice enough? Why create another thing for a host to deal with on top of serving the food and entertaining the guests?

So many questions. Oh chargers, why do you exist?




Next week, we'll cover decorative pants you're not supposed to wear and decorative windows that you're not supposed to look out of.