new japanese book-pottery

I went over to Kinokuniya at Uwajimaya last weekend, I hadn't been there in a long time, and found this amazing book. It's a visual catalog of some famous mid-century modern Swedish, Finnish, Danish, and Norwegian pottery. It's just a look book, with the company names and patterns, but it is amazing and the photos are stellar, of course. Grammie worked at Finlandia House here in Portland (the owners were close friends of the fanily) when she was little and remembers seeing all these patterns in the shop-it was so cool to look at it with her. Finlandia House is not there anymore, it was Portland's first Finnish home interiors/import store. It opened in the 1950s and mom worked there when she was 12! I guess if you are going to have child labor, at least do it in style!

Arabia-Kartano

Arabia-Kilta (I think Grammie said this was her favorite at Finlandia House.)

Arabia-Krokus (I guess I really like Arabia.)

I don't have any of these patterns. I have a really small ceramics collection just a few pieces, mostly American, but I am slowly rebuilding my parents wedding pattern (Denby) which was lost, and fantasize about owning some of these pieces. I am sure pie would taste even better off of a plate like this. But maybe not pie, now that I think about it, I'd have to make a special Finnish dessert, to go with the Arabia. I must research this. This book in one in a series of two; one showcases cups and saucers, and this one features other pieces in the same patterns. Amazing.

Comments

[Anna]

Here's a very traditional Finnish dessert recipe for you:

Grandma's lingonberry porridge

1 litre water
4-5 decilitres lingonberries (Latin name Vaccinium vitis-idaea)
1 decilitre sugar
1,5 decilitre semolina grit

Smash berries in the pot and add water. Cook smashed berries and water 10 to 15 minutes. Sieve the sauce if you want equally coloured porridge. Whip sugar and semolina grit to boiling juice. Simmer the porridge for 15 minutes and stir it for now and then. Whip it when the porridge has cooled down to make it light and "airy".

Serve it with a little sugar and milk. Vanilla cream will also do it.

At least this Finn is crazy about this dessert!

[Alicia P.]

Oooo. I want to see that book sometime. If only one had room to store as much pottery as one covets. Alas.

Don't forget to call me. I'm bored now that I'm caught up.

[Gina]

I love the black and white ones.

[Pam]

I love the top set. Super cool. Now I just want to head back to Kinokuniya in San Jose for more books.

[Päivä]

I love Finnish (and Swedish) mid-century pottery too! Here in Finland it`s easy to find it in thrift shops etc., of course, but unfortunately people selling it know exactly what it`s worth. :) I`m dreaming of someday finding a set at ridiculously low price somewhere.

About Finnish desserts, I`m crazy about the lingonbery porridge too, but when I read your post, two things came to mind. First is 'pulla', cinnamon buns/rolls (which were something you ate with your afternoon coffee everyday - our grandmas`s did; I guess they take too much time to make for us busy Noughties people). This is the first recipe I found (where it`s used as a pie crust, but you can just make the dough and roll it into buns, and let them rise a bit more before you put them in the oven.
Another Finnish dessert is blueberry or lingonberry pie, without the 'lid' (er, top part). Pie crust can made as pulla dough or it can be more crumbly, like American pies (if I have the right idea about them, that is.).

Looking forward to see your Finnish dessert!

[Päivä]

And here`s the link to pulla recipe. Sorry I forgot it the first time.

http://www.taikinapoika.com/2006/03/19/moms-lingonberry-and-carrot-pie/

[Laurence]

Scandinavian designs are always amazing!
ps. your apple pie looks delicious!

[malin]

I love Arabia too, but being Swedish, I must route for our design. I love Berså (the top picture), very nostalgic, very trendy. But my favourite is Eden http://images.google.se/images?hl=sv&q=r%C3%B6rstrand%20eden&btnG=Google-s%C3%B6kning&sa=N&tab=wi, with a big blue apple against leafs. Very pretty! I haven´t tried Finnish cinnamon buns, but ours are great, and we actually celebrate the day of the cinnamon bun on October the 4th! Recipe: http://www.queenoframbles.com/kitchen/archives/001012.html

[Elena]

Finnish design is really really great - when it is great. My mother is from Finland and I've "discovered" my grannies potteries, glasses etc about ten years ago. But, Finnish taste can sometimes be surprisingly bad ... for example when you look att how some people dress, especially childrens clothes can be amazingly horrible. But again, for example Marimekko cloths is above wonderful... I don't know any country where so many people are wearing kind of dull "sport-clothes" on their Sunday promenade....

[carolyn]

Nothing to do with this post at all but just found your cuckoo clock post. When I was a kid my Grandparents had a cuckoo clock but they never put it on the wall. Not sure if it didn't work or if it just drove them crazy, anyway, it now breaks my heart to think of that clock because they just threw it away! Right in the dustbin. And I would so love a cuckoo clock.

[Veronica TM]

Beautiful pottery! I really would love to have Japanese bookstore closeby! Thank you for sharing this images.

[HeatherJ]

Those pieces are amazing. I need to make it over to Uwajimaya one of these days.

[melissa f.]

alicia is caught up?! how rude.

this is the problem-o with blogs, as they make me wanty for things i have never heard of and would happily live without. (nice book review too lady...)

[Hanna]

Check this out if you are looking for Arabia second hand ceramics:

http://www.tradera.com/search/imp.aspx?search=arabia&Image1.x=0&Image1.y=0&catid=2012

good luck!

[Kathie]

I have a set of Arabia Anemone that I bought when I got married in the mid-70s. HAD to have them! My mother was so disdainful and always called them "those restaurant dishes". I have used them every day since I got them and still love them as much as I did the day I took them out of the box.