Go ahead, play with your food

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I think I’ve found my new dream china. I stopped by the Lemon Tree Bungalow in West Hollywood to pick up a birthday card for a friend just the other day, and spotted these plates stacked with other cool kitchenware items in a corner of the store.

It’s the ‘Food Face’ ceramic plate, courtesy of Fred & Friends. And yeah, it’s just like those faces you used to play with as a kid, dragging magnetic shavings across the surface to give it some sort of hair-do or moustache or a beard and wild eyebrows. But here you use ... food! Here are some of the options on the packaging:

So of course I immediately snagged a couple. The store didn’t have a bunch on hand or I would have picked up a whole set to use for dinners when we have company. It’s a good thing, probably -- my much-better-half winced a little when I presented my absolutely amazing find after I got home.

For the last few days I’ve been planning our weeknight dinners around things like bright green peas and mac ‘n’ cheese as I re-think the whole idea of ‘plating a dish.’

Food Face 8 1/2-inch ceramic plates, sold individually, $10 to $15 depending on the retailer. Check worldwidefred.com for a list of retailers. Lemon Tree Bungalow, 8727 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, (310) 657-0211.