tuna fish dish

This somewhat faded-looking dish is known as the tuna fish dish. That's because back in the 1960s, my Mom would serve her tuna salad in it...frequently.

The dish is made from melamine (trade name was “melmac”), a super hard plasticware that had its heyday of popularity in the 1950s and 60s. Its claim to fame was indestructibility… this material is tough stuff. Although the pieces appeared attractive when new (if you enjoy 1950s colors), they don’t age well (even though they won’t break!). Two downsides to melmac: it scratches easily from utensils and can get a scuffed look, and it can discolor from holding certain foods or beverages, like coffee. Despite those negatives, I’ve come across numerous melmac dishes in good condition.

By the time I was in college, this dish had fallen out of favor in my parents’ household. I found it had been relegated to the basement, where my Dad used it as a container to mix spackle. I cleaned it up and claimed it some years ago, and it now has “upstairs bowl” status in Pennsylvania.

There are various brands of melmac, and this bowl is stamped “Boontonware” underneath. It was manufactured in Boonton, NJ, not far from where I grew up.