I have a love/hate relationship with the city in which I live -- Los Angeles. You can't beat the balmy weather (did I mention that I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt all day today?), but you also can't beat traffic, no matter how carefully you listen to the traffic report, time your driving with "rush hour" or opt for surface streets.

But in the end, I love Los Angeles, which is why I love these dinner plates from notNeutral. The dishwasher-safe porcelain plates are 12" in diameter, feature the downtown core printed on a black background, highlight key buildings in red, and indicate rivers and public spaces. While I favor Los Angeles, the plates also come printed with Shanghai, Cairo, Berlin (part of Collection 1) and New Orleans, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas and Dubai (part of Collection 2).

Each plate is $50.

These unusual ceramic plates have a couple of different uses and are so visually interesting that it's almost a surprise that they're not in any high-end restaurants, especially one where they deal with less traditional foods and presentations. The Dish It Up dishes come in three sizes that can be fit together along their "cut" edge. They could be used for portion control, if you're looking for a practical purpose to justify buying them and more artistic platings are not your goal. One other interesting feature of the dishes is that they can be stored vertically, resting on their straight edge, which minimizes the amount of cabinet space they take up. They are sold in sets that include one each of the small, medium and large sizes.

An alternative lifestyle deserves alternative dinnerware and the Piercing Collection of dinnerware certainly qualifies. Not only do the pieces feature black-and-white tattoo-inspired designs, but the cups and bowls are actually pierced with small metal rings. The overall look is edgy and getting dishes with tattoos or piercings is certainly easier (and probably cheaper) than doing either to your own body. The dishes were designed by Barbara Schmidt, are made in Germany and are dishwasher safe.

Only the mugs and bowls seem to be available right now and both are sold separately. You can buy several and make a matching set, or just use one mug at the office to surprise your coworkers. Just make sure there's a good coffee machine wherever you intended to use the mug because, due to the piercing, it cannot be put into the microwave.

A bowl of soup and a sandwich make a classic, comforting lunch pairing - especially if it is some kind of tomato soup and a cheese sandwich. In summer, this could mean gazpacho and cream cheese on toast for dipping, or a spicy tomato soup and hot, melting grilled cheese sandwich in winter. Either way, it is a satisfying meal. The soup and sandwich plate ($15) is the perfect setup for serving the pair, with a bowl set into one side of the plate and a rectangular, sandwich-shaped indentation on the other. The ceramic is oven, dishwasher and microwave safe, too.

Granted, you can't really say that you need a set like this one unless you have no other tableware, but there is nothing wrong with wanting it. And you know you'd use it if you had it.

Bodo Sperlein products do not come cheap - but you can't deny the quality and desirability of their creations.

Bodo's designs are described as "subtle and clean, capturing the essence of the modern with the substance and beauty of the classic". Which basically means they look damn good! ". Handmade china is never cheap and these, from the UK, join a range of products including lighting, furniture, gift and tableware.

For such high quality products the website fails to display them in the most advantageous way. I mean these plates - with a black berry design - are boringly photographed on a dull grey background. A small plate costs £30, the larger £59. Complete the set with napkins holders, vases, salt and pepper sets etc etc. (I hate the flower light though)

Pop Ink is a design company that has created this adorable set of "Fashion Plate" dinnerware. Each set has four different saturated color designs and are molded into heavy-duty 10" Melamine plastic plates. The plates are dishwasher safe, though not microwavable. In addition to the fashion plates, Pop Ink has sets called Lovesick and Wallpaper.

The set of four is $40 and is available from Elsewares. 

It's no doubt that the problem of obesity has to be addressed from multiple angles, and education sure seems to be a good place to put some emphasis. Nutriplates are designed with the intent of educating the diner about portion sizes, caloric intake, and fitness levels. Each plate has a different "theme," this one with calorie information on various sources of protein. Other plates have fruits, vegetables, grains, and even physical activities.

 

A woman in Michigan has created a line of flavored candy plates meant to be broken at wedding ceremonies, celebrations or if you're just pissed off. Judy Cerano, 57, debuted her Sweet Madness Plate to Break line this month at a candy store in White Lake, Michigan, according to an AP story in the Lansing State Journal. Flavors include banana cream, mint, root beer, piña colada, wintergreen and cherry. Each plate sells for around $10.