Day 18: November 28

Thanksgiving Round 2!

Today I traveled back to my hometown to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. The main course included baked turkey, ham, buns, stuffing, mashed potatoes, homemade gravy (with bacon & onions), and green bean casserole. For dessert...white wine and homemade apple pie! 

I could tell right away that plate size mattered -- everyone's plate was so much bigger than my 9-inch plate! However, I felt stuffed with the portions I had. Being someone who feels the need to clean their plate, I can't imagine how much more food I would have felt compelled to serve myself simply because if I had room on my plate.

I feel like the theme for portion plates really hit me during this holiday. Using these dishware has brought to my attention the importance of prioritizing and proportioning what I put into my body.

Day 15: November 25

My lunch at work today: 1.5 cups of pretzel crisps with hummus. I felt full, and the calorie intake with this meal is very low. I love the flavor and texture of these pretzels and they are a great combination with hummus. I attached an image of the kind I bought, but they sell many flavors - I've bought mine at Walmart & Hyvee. 

A client commented, "Oh what a beautiful bowl! Where did you get that?" I enjoy telling the story behind the Portion Plates and sharing my experience with them. A meaningful conversation enhanced by a delicious meal adorning a gorgeous bowl by Lauren Karle. 

Day 11: November 21

Breakfast in the morning: 1 cup of "Total" Flakes cereal with 3/4 cup 2% milk. Two sugar cubes for taste. I love cereal! I also love having these measurements on my bowl! Normally I would eat cereal out of a coffee mug to ensure I was eating approximately 1 cup. 

Supper alone in my kitchen. I worked 9a-4p and then 5p-10p with no supper in between so I was starving! I went to Walmart and bought a "Digiorno" PIZZA: cheese stuffed crust with sausage, pepper, and onion. One of those nights when you have a craving for good food without the restaurant cost, so I compromised and bought this! Cheat night is always worth it.

Project Portion Plates in progress!

Ceramist Lauren Karle in her studio developing the forms of each dish.

Hello! I am an artist-in-residence at the Bemis Center and am looking to connect with people for a project. I am a potter looking to connect with a group of people who are interested in learning more about diet and nutrition. I envision sitting down as a group with a dietitian or nutritionist to learn about portion size and variety of a balanced diet. I would like to get to know each participants individual needs and habits to design a place setting for them. For example, I could make a plate for each food group, scaling it to the proper portion size. Colors of the dishes could reflect the persons desire to eat or not eat (blue makes us not want to eat as much). Traditionally we don’t eat McDonalds from a handmade ceramic dish. Participants could eat from the dish setting daily for a determined about of time and reflect on how eating from the specially designed dishes has changed their diet to answer the question,

 “Does what we eat off of influence what we eat?”

Quoted proposal: Lauren Karle

Posted by: Alison Ranniger - Bemis Center Intern

The Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts is an artist residency program located in Omaha, NE.

view Lauren's professional portfolio at www.laurenkarle.com