到我家作客的人，也會使用過我這些舊杯碗。
從收藏，到使用，當中也有擔心過別人會否介意使用這些破落的器具，一派寒酸的模樣，更有一些是邊沿崩裂不修的，或者是破損後以不明物料勉強補綴過，可能予人意頭不好或不安心之感。
Those who have visited my place have probably been served food and drink with these old cups and bowls.
At times, I am concerned that people might make a confused face at these tattered pieces that I collect and use. Their shabby exteriors, cracked edges, and noticeable repairs might come off as a sign of adversity and ill luck to some.
也並非所有客人不曾接觸過這類器具，碰巧有些長輩到訪，飯桌上的食具反而讓他們樂不可支，使我們順利打開了話匣子。當中有些就是他們從前在鄉下一直使用的物件。他們告訴我，碗身較深的是盛粥的，淺的話則是盛菜的，言談間可以知道一碗飽滿的米飯於當時的他們而言是不常見的。這些器具除了盛食，還裝滿了回憶，我繼續傾聽他們在田野抓田雞，和捕魚獵鳥的往事。
It’s not like everyone is a stranger to this type of crockery. I remember some elderly friends, who came over for a visit, were particularly delighted to see these old ceramic pieces on my dining table. I was told that they are the same as the cups and bowls they used back in their hometown in the old days. The deeper bowls are used to serve porridge while the shallower ones are for meat and veggies, I was told. As the conversation went on, I came to understand that a bowl full of rice was a luxury to these old people in the past. Besides food, these utensils are filled with memories. The memories of the good old days when they caught frogs in the fields, fishing in the water, and hunting birds in the wild.
我在不同的地方收集到這些食器，賣的人通常推算它們為民國時期的物件，即10至50年代之間，好些我想是來自晚清時期也說不定，出產年代之所以不好說，乃它們多為民間器物，而非載入史冊可供品鑑的官窯製品，亦因如此，除非是有心人長年悉心存放，再流傳到下一位有心人的手中，不然它們只會在不見天日的角落裡變得灰暗，從此佚失在民間。
I found my ceramic pieces in different places. The sellers told me that they were likely to be from the Early Republic of China era, i.e. the time between 1910s and 50s. But I believe some of them might well be from the late Qing Dynasty. The reason why it is so difficult to trace their origin is because they were everyday objects used by ordinary people rather than the valuable masterpieces fired in the imperial kilns and were recorded in the annals of history. These ordinary pieces would have been buried in the dirt and never seen by the modern world if there were not some sweet soul who treasured their ordinariness and decided to pass them onto future generations.
不論是有青花飾紋抑或只沾單色釉的款式，這些民間食器的特徵大多相通。從底部裸露的圈足可知陶土質地粗糙甚至夾雜碎砂，碗身堅實厚重，能經得起長時間使用，形態上雖遠遠談不上雅緻，倒看得出造陶者手法嫻熟，而碗內底部通常可以看到以刮釉疊燒導致的露胎圓環。如此種種實是低成本製作、省時省工的結果，拿上手便可以知道它們是「用」的器具，不加掩飾的，恰似它們身上如風中勁草的肆意飾紋，或隨興臨摹的鄉村風景。
These ordinary utensils share a similar look. They usually have blue and white patterns and are glazed with one color. One can tell from the foot ring that these pieces are made with poor quality clay with sizable sand particles. Yet, they are solid, heavy, and durable. Considering their exteriors, they are far from elegant; but refined details, such as the unglazed ring at the inner bottom of the bowl could be observed. It is not too difficult to tell that these ceramic pieces are meant for daily use with their low-cost production, time- and labor-saving techniques, and the random patterns and rural scenery painted on their surface.
毫無問疑，這是造陶者掌握基本的造陶技術後，直截了當地完成的。在想法轉化成縝密的審美考量以前，這些器物有意無意間被捏造了出來，渾然天成得宛如不為誰存在的大自然。柳宗理在《隨筆》的首篇〈何謂設計〉便開宗明義讚嘆這些由無名氏工匠創造的純粹民藝。「由於適用於當地生活，忠實自然地打造，還多了一種健康穩重的美感。實際上，這樣的作品具備人性與生俱來的溫暖，潛藏著十足的魅力。」
Undoubtedly, these pieces are created by crafters who had just mastered their basic ceramic-making techniques. They are created, either intentionally or unintentionally, before ideas were transformed into rigorous aesthetic considerations and easily became part of nature. In “What is Design”, the first chapter of his book, Essays , Sori Yanagi praises these ordinary objects created by unknown craftsmen. “Because they are faithfully and naturally created for local living, there is a profound beauty in them. In fact, such works are filled with the warmth of human nature that is extremely charming.”
不刻意追求工藝的極致，自然孕育出來的民藝製品有著各種差異和缺陷，卻讓我特別珍重。在長時間使用這些物件後，才發現所謂美，更多是來自不經意，也許食物才是主角，人才是主角，還有那些無法複製的感覺，冥冥中告訴我遇見這些器物，也是最需要珍惜的，剛剛好的緣份。
Leaving aside the goal of achieving exquisite craftsmanship, the ordinary craftsmen create daily objects with unique distinctions and defects that I deeply cherish. As I spend more time using these objects, I discover that beauty usually comes inadvertently. Perhaps what matters the most is the food, people, or the unreplicable feelings. But what I should cherish the most might well be the perfect encounters with these ordinary objects.
