Get a Grip

Because of their thick, cushy handles and strong, simple design, Good Grips cooking utensils have won awards from both the Arthritis Foundation and the Industrial Designers Society of America. They make a grater, utility knife, slotted spoon, vegetable peeler and can opener. Widely available.

Think and Drink

Each of these handblown goblets is, says glass artist R. Guy Corrie of Union Street Glass, “a unique statement of form and function.” And, he warns, “Perfection is not repeatable but an individual statement of art.” Manhattan Tortuga Swirl glasses are $52 per stem at Feast in Pasadena.

Pulp Fiction

“It was the best trip we ever took,” the story begins. “Our closest friends had come into a great deal of money, and invited us to sail the Caribbean on an old wooden-hulled three-master they owned. We stopped for a day at a quiet island--the French one, you know, but not the famous one. A two-table restaurant served the most sensual food we’ve ever had--just caught, perfumed with the scent of the isles: sea breezes, coconut, sugar cane. . . . The place mats were fascinating too. A tiny, ancient man sat out back with a stack of paper sacks, waxing each one till it glowed. Just before dinner was served, he tore off sheets to put under our plates. Beautiful . . . simple . . . practical. PeasantMats.”

So tell John Simmons and Michael Moreau, owners of Carnevale, a housewares line in Memphis, Tenn. Certainly, the paper mats fit the description--vividly colored and burnished in wax.

But it turns out that the mats are not the only thing fabricated. “To be real honest, it’s all made up,” says one company employee. “We were looking at packaging one day and came up with it. But people really like the little story.”

With or without the fiction, the mats would make a beautiful addition to any table, $12 for a dozen at Tin Soldier in Palm Dessert.