Can someone explain the function of placemats?

Plus they are decorative or they're supposed to be.

On the other hand, sometimes they actually help - and some of them do actually look professional and elegant. I have a kitchen table that's granite, and if I don't have a table cloth on it, it's reeeeeeaaaallllllly frakking cold to the arms and loud to the movement of plates, glasses, and silverware.

So if I don't tablecloth, I definitely put down placemats.

On the other hand, my sister has a wooden table and she has really fucking ugly placemats that come from Home Interiors, with lots of ugly frill on them - she leaves them on the table all the time, EXCEPT during meals, when she takes them off, along with the fucking ugly centerpiece that's always on the table.


If done right, though, placemats can be very helpful in controlling spills, reducing noise, and keeping the table a little cleaner.

:wtf:
placeMATS, not placeHOLDERS

the surface of the table from heat, stains, etc. Even solid wood tables benefit from them but veneered surfaces are hard to repair so they are recommended for those types of tables.

Think of them as a plate trivet.

They were especially good for folks who use to heat plates in warming drawers or even the oven before serving food. (as I have gotten older I heat plates in order to keep the food warm, I learned this from my mother in law)

Back in the day when rooms were big and not very well heated. The plates were kept hot until placed before you. Hot plates mar wood tables.

and may crack a veneer, hence the need for the placemat or a table cloth.

Now that I have started to heat plates, I have to say that it does seem to help keep hot foods warm while eating. The best plates to use are the thick ceramic types like Fiesta ware. They store up the heat and don't cool off too fast.

Anyone violating the placemat borders risks a fork in the back of the hand

Perfect for writing down song lyrics, music, poetry, engineering diagrams or other brilliant thoughts that must be committed to paper or forever lost.

It also makes it quieter when you put down your glass or silverware during a meal. We could use a tablecloth, but it's kind of nice to be able to see through some of the table.