I have finally gotten rid of the last piece of ceramic crockery from Mayon Street that a former co-worker foisted on me many Christmases ago. I hated them the minute I brought them into the house; the only reason I didn't throw them out sooner was that the family grew fond of their colorful designs. They were, sadly, made of substandard materials--they were brittle, chipped easily, and were embellished with toxic paint that could have done harm to anyone who happened to ingest them had they flaked off. For the longest time I used them as mere fruit bowls, and then as catch-alls.

I will never buy or accept dishes from Mayon Street again. They are most probably export rejects from China that somehow wangled their way to the border between Manila and Quezon City, and not the kind of thing that I want my grandchildren to inherit.