As Ana and Roberto, my two good friends from Brazil, and myself gorged ourselves through the multicourse kaiseki dinner at the very pleasant and relaxed Tachibana Shikitei, a Japanese-style inn in Ishikawa Prefecture's Yamashiro Onsen, I convinced myself that food, when served on quality pottery — in this case, local Kutaniware — really does taste better than if served on a regular plate.
As if the ryokan's warm hospitality and ambience combined wasn't enough, the food set out before us was five-star. Prepared using the finest local ingredients and seasonal specialties — Sea of Japan fish and organically grown vegetables — it came in piled high on the Kutaniware.
Before our eyes — and stomachs — was a picture-postcard view of Japanese hospitality at its best: every square centimeter of the lacquered table was covered with plates and dishes of varying shapes and sizes, each bearing items of food so exquisitely arranged that it seemed a shame to even to think about popping them into our mouths and devouring them.