Why are dinner plates round instead of square or oblong?

Question

I think the oblong would be better.

Answer 1

Ease of production and tradition; when you had to throw a ceramic plate on a pottery wheel, it's easier to make a perfectly circular object in cross-section than any other shape when it's sitting on a spinning base (well, for people who know what they're doing; the last time I tried to throw something on a pottery wheel, I ended up with something that looked like it came from the set of the movie "Ghost," except that I can't use the excuse that I was distracted) People have been serving food on square, rectangular, oblong and even triangular shaped dishes off and on throughout history -- where do you think a "square meal" came from? The food wasn't cubical! Rows of sushi look better and fit better on a rectangular plate, and when serving whole fish, a longer, oblong plate is preferrable (if your round serving dish actually fits the fish, you have two half-moon shaped sections of plate that stick out of either side that you have to dress up somehow... sloppy presentation)

Answer 2

What is an oblong shaped like - and don't say an oblong!

Dinner plates are round because a long time ago, the round monster came and stepped on anything not round. Thanks to the round monster, the world isn't a cube and thus it's a lot less complicated.

Answer 3

There are lots of dinner plates that are square and oblong and other shapes.Look around :)

Answer 4

actually there are square and oval dinner plates as they are more modern. But I suppose that originally it was (1) easier to produce and (2) more simple to turn to whatever food was being eaten. in short easier to rotate.

Answer 5

I have square ones :) unfortunally the don't rotate well in the microwave. So that could be a reason why most of them are round.

Answer 6

WE HAVE SOME SQUARE ONES~AND FLOWER SHAPED ONES TOO!AND AT A LOT OF RESTAURANTS THEY HAVE OBLONG ONES.I THINK ROUND ONES ARE JUST EASIER.

Answer 7

To match the "round" of coffee cups and glasses. You couldn't drink coffee out of a square cup.

Answer 8

I have to guess that it's traditional for them to be round because they were originally created on a potter's wheel.

Answer 9

Maybe they were originally easier to make on a potter's wheel, and it became tradition. I'm just guessing though. But you don't generally see any potter's squares, so maybe I'm on to something. ;)

Answer 10

Tradition - round is also easier to make in large quantities.