Famiware Ocean Soy Sauce Dish, 12-piece

Between meals, these little dishes sit on the cupboard shelf, stacked low beside the cereal bowls. On a busy weeknight they come out to the counter, holding soy sauce, vinegar, or a small heap of pickles. They are the pieces you reach for without a second thought, and the first thing the table sets.

The trade-off is the capacity. Each dish holds a shallow spoonful, so a long dinner with several dips means refilling once or twice. The same smallness that makes them easy to store makes them easy to lose in a full sink. You learn to set them out early and gather them before the washing starts.