personally, i have a real aversion to paper plates, but if you have to use them, go with that heavy duty chinet stuff and NOT styrofoam. glad to hear you are using real utensils. it's terribly annoying when people can't give the courtesy of a response, isn't it?

enjoy your function.

maryanne

I would not do paper, even Chinet with your menu, lots of "wet" stuff. I avoid plastic because it is so environmentaly unfriendly.

I would go with real dishes. Check the party rental stores, I was really suprised at how cheap dishes and cutlery are to rent. Almost the same price as the plastic and you send them back dirty!

You have gone to a great deal of trouble with a wonderful menu, it deserves real plates!

I agree with the others. I don't like paper plates or cups, and they cost almost as much as inexpensive glass ones -- glass is even less than paper once you have used them a few times, and it is more earth-friendly. I agree with chase -- your yummy menu and hard work deserve better than paper, not to mention styrofoam (the worst).

Besides, you may not even be saving yourself any clean-up work in the end -- a mess on the furniture or floor from a collapsed paper plate will be a lot more work than washing a few dishes -- they only take a few seconds each, even by hand -- not that much longer than collecting and throwing away disposables. And you won't have to remember to go out and buy them next time.

Chase is also right about renting. I have a friend who has plenty of dishes but always rents dishes, glasses, and flatware at Xmas time. The company comes and collects them still dirty!

I am with the rest. Use glass. Rent if you want, it is well worth it. You just put them in the crates dirty and they take them away. No fuss no muss.

The presentation is nicer and the food is much more manageable for the guests. I don't think paper plates would go well with glass and silver.

Have fun!

I found that over the years, I spent more time going through the garbage for a stray piece of silverware if I used disposable plates than if I used the real stuff....and now I can't stand that paper of plastic stuff.
It really takes very little time to wash 40 plates.....Many many times I have washed 80....and 2 dushwasher loads does the job.
Go for the real stuff...it'/s so much nicer.
Linda C

For birthday parties or picnics, I don't feel bad using heavy Chinette plates or the heavy plastic ones. Our party stores has beautifully color coordinated plastic ware, plates, cups, and table cloths and you can really have a festive looking table with paper and plastic ware. But for holiday dinners, no matter how many people are coming, I always use real plates and utensils. I have several sets of dishes, and even if they don't all match, you can create a nice table scape with mix & match items.

My cousin had a sit down dinner one time for more people than she had dishes for, and she went to Walmart and purchased those inexpensive clear dinner plates and salad plates. They couldn't have been more than a dollar each. Now she has a bunch of plates whenever needed.

I just went to an estate sale and bought a dozen small white dishes for 4.00. I like using such plates for appetizers at parties...so much nicer than plastic. I also use small, linen cocktail napkins, but that's just me. I love using them (most are old, from estate sales or my own family) and I love ironing napkins! I certainly am in favor of paper cocktail napkins and other peoples' homes, and sometimes I use them too, if I've found pretty or funny ones, or I'm seving something messy and /or tomatoey. I do love using, and being served on real plates, and they surely don't have to be expensive ones.

Well, I used heavy clear plastic for the plates and nobody noticed since it was paired with silerware and glassware. In fact a couple of guests thought they had to stack them because we perhaps kept them. :) It was funny.

I am glad I did it that way. We had 40 people and the glasses and silverware were enough to clean up. The dishes would not have made that much of a difference in the presentation.

I'll go back to glassware for the smaller gatherings (25 people or less.)