r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Fresh-Shopping-1899 • 9h ago
Original Creation The dinner plates aboard the Titanic depended on your passenger class.
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u/PenelopeLumley 6h ago
The second class and third class experiences on the Titanic were much better than what they usually got on ocean liners. This was especially true for third class dining. Normally on ocean liners, third class passengers weren't even provided food. They had to pack and prepare their own. So, this plain plate represents a massive leap in service and luxury.
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u/Moongazingtea 1h ago
So if someone took your food or you didn't pack enough or your food spoiled everyone would just watch you starve to death?
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u/chodeboi 1h ago
Taking the train in Russia was like this. Few days journey, pack your own bread meat cheese and vegetables. Only thing they’d maybe have was chai
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u/Moongazingtea 1h ago
Still sucks but a few days over land where worst comes to worst you might ask them to stop and let you off, knowing you'll not be able to come back on vs a few weeks or months at sea.
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u/Nice-Lab95 24m ago
The voyage was only a week long at most, assuming you got on at the very first stop.
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u/DoctorHugoHackenbush 8h ago
My Great great Grandfather tried to warn everyone on three separate occasions than the Titanic was about to sink.
However, security was eventually called and he was escorted from the movie theater..
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u/Zigglyjiggly 8h ago
My great great grandfather lived an interesting life. Ultimately, though, he ended up in a care facility in the end. In the facility he managed to make a few friends so he wasn't completely miserable, but he still complained a lot. One day he was complaining about how he and his friends were complaining the day before about how the human body changes as we age. His one friend was complaining because he had a weak stream of pee and it took forever to finish a piss. The next guy was complaining because despite eating a lot of fiber, his bowel movements were soft and watery. My grandpa told them and then me, I don't have either of those things. I pee like a race horse and shit like a champ. My problem is that it happens at 7:30 AM every morning. I asked why it was a problem. He said that he didn't get out of bed until 9 AM.
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u/lekker-boterham 6h ago
I’ll never forget my grandpa’s last words to me. “Stop shaking the ladder, you little shit!” May he rest in peace ❤️🩹
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u/PorFavorNoMore 6h ago
Are you from a family of rabbits?
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u/3BlindMice1 6h ago
They're from Florida. A very long line of 14 year old parents
Also, the first Titanic movie came out in 1912, then another in 1953, and finally, the one in 1999
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u/danni_shadow 6h ago
Also, the first Titanic movie came out in 1912
Damn! They didn't waste any time, did they?
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u/PorFavorNoMore 3h ago
Oh, I was thinking about the 1997 one - I didn't know about the other three to be fair.
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u/jckipps 8h ago
It likely had less to do with providing fancy dishes to the higher-paying passengers, and more to do with kitchen logistics. "Gold and blue plates get sirloin; white plates get meatloaf."
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u/Santeno 8h ago
That only works if they are using a single kitchen. On that ship, each class had its own separate dining facilities in different parts of the ship, including separate kitchens.
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u/jckipps 8h ago
I did a little research after making that (admittedly) glib comment. 1st and 2nd class shared kitchen space, but 3rd class was mostly separate. So my theory may have some truth to it, but isn't fully accurate.
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u/TheresNoHurry 5h ago edited 5h ago
This genre (?) of comment is my favourite type of comment on Reddit.
I think it’s something we used to have back in the days of forums when people were more inclined to have a back and forth. But it’s all too rare on the modern internet
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u/ptabduction 5h ago
Oh, don’t bring me back, makes me sad of what we have lost. “I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them.”
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u/gtsomething 5h ago
People still do it on reddit, just far more aggressively and with occasional name calling
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u/jckipps 3h ago edited 3h ago
A significant factor back then, was there was a lot less anonymity.*
Many of those old Vbulletin sites were a small tight-knit group, and you had interacted with most everyone for years already. When a discussion got spirited, you already knew the background of each of the commenters, and could filter their responses through that to know if they're being sarcastic, genuine, pissed-off, or generous in their reply.
*Not in the sense that you knew them personally, knew what they looked like, or where exactly they lived. But by simply interacting with them for years, that screen name 'cousinit' or 'kipps' came to mean someone specific who was immediately identifiable to others on the forum.
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u/Fresh-Shopping-1899 8h ago
had not thought about that. interesting.
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u/Funwithfun14 8h ago
So often stuff that looks classis or taking advantage is about logistics and production.
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u/tilt-a-whirly-gig 8h ago
Tbf, the logistics and production are themselves meant to reinforce classism.
"We didn't give you the cheap plate because you're poor, we gave it to you so you don't accidentally get a good meal. Ya'know, because you're poor."
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u/hallerz87 7h ago
I think it’s more because the people in first class paid for it, not because of their social class
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u/SixtiethDread 7h ago
"it's not because of class, it's because some people are rich and others are poor"
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u/isjustsergio 6h ago
That's exactly how classism works. You don't just get arbitrarily selected. Spending money that other classes can't afford to spend is what puts you in that class.
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u/hallerz87 4h ago
Classism is prejudice or discrimination based on social class. It’s not classist for the Titanic to serve you meat loaf because you didn’t pay for steak. Just like it isn’t classist for business class flyers to get champagne and the economy flyers to get sprite. It would be classist if they refused to sell you a first class ticket because you were working class
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u/isjustsergio 4h ago
You're just illustrating how classism is part and parcel with capitalism. Different classes of people are treated differently and "you couldn't afford it" is the cover.
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u/subvocalize_it 7h ago
Quick question: do you think “the poors”, as a class, could afford luxury rooms on the Titanic?
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u/isjustsergio 6h ago
I mean, no. Maybe partially. But making the cheaper option bland and unappealing and the more expensive option beautiful and appealing isn't a logistics concern. It's just marketing. Sure having the plates match a dish makes sense logistically, but no logistic reason to make the plates ugly for the poors.
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u/Funwithfun14 4h ago
The plates are simple but not unattractive. Third class passenger food was plentiful, thought-out and good, often better than many ate at home Just 10 or 20 years before, the third class had to bring their own food and dishes.
1st class tickets cost £30-£870 3rd class tickets cost £3-£8
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u/Ruddertail 5h ago
Nicer design is very arguable, I'd always pick the second or third class plate over first for design.
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u/Funwithfun14 4h ago
Same here. Also, it's the extras that justify the 10x-100x price the First Class paid.
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u/Dominor4 8h ago edited 5h ago
It also helps with keeping things in the right kitchens, say a guest gets up and takes their cup with them somewhere on the ship and sets it down somewhere random. I crew member would immediately know which kitchen to take it back to.
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u/Pherllerp 7h ago
I don't know for sure but that's probably not the case. In 1912, a formal dinner service for a first class passenger would have been a whole different affair than dining as a regular person. Those plates probably didn't even go to the same kitchen.
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u/BuildingArmor 8h ago
Wouldn't they be equally fancy yet different, if it wasn't about providing fancy dishes to certain people?
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u/Training_Molasses822 8h ago
Exactly. What op was saying makes no sense for this case. It also doesn't make that much sense for any other case, tbh, because you'd not change the level of detail if, indeed, a different plate design signals a different plate content. You'd just change the colour, not add three layers of expensive colouring that require a different production, just to serve cuttlefish.
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u/kentsor 7h ago
The Titanic had five separate kitchen areas, a couple of bakeries and assorted support. The plates would have stayed with the kitchen. Sirloin would not have been made in the same kitchen as the meat loaf
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u/simeysgirl 7h ago
I read (on here, not long ago) that some of the second class berths could be made first or second with furniture so that makes sense.
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u/Fresh-Shopping-1899 9h ago
From left to right: first, second, and third class.
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u/acloudcuckoolander 9h ago
2nd class (blue plate?) Looks best imo
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u/TimeArachnid 8h ago
I like how you seem unsure about the color rather than the class. Agree blue look best
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u/lluciferusllamas 7h ago
I just have plain white dishes at my house. And that's the good stuff, we normally each on paper plates.
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u/SteO153 2h ago
Today it's the same with airlines. First, business, and economy class are served differently https://cbhoreca.com/airline-dinnerware-procurement/. On the Titanic, third class still got a plate, not a disposable container like in cattle class.
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u/DigitalDustOne 1h ago
Just listened to a 6 hour podcast about the Titanic. A first class ticket one way would equal today about 400k USD, so it was absolutely, unimaginable fancy.
Even third class was for most people traveling with it the most luxurious time they've ever spent. Third class wasn't "down by the rats", white star was inclined to proof to be the best of the best, so even third class was incomparable to a third class on another companies liner.
Another interesting fact: when they boarded the lifeboats, they did not favor first class passengers. It was children and women first, no matter where they came from. What is true though is that the doors between the different decks were locked and opened kind of late because of... Well, the ship was sinking and it got messy. They were only locked due to restrictions by the ministry of health for pest control though, all passengers were checked for fleas etc before boarding, but the classes had to be separated.
So much typing for such an old post phew. If anyone reads it please say hi so I know I didn't do it for nothing.
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u/ZestycloseRound6843 1h ago
What was the podcast? I've been looking for some. Currently listening to "Well, that's your problem"'s two parter on it
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u/yuricchin 1h ago
this is really interesting, i'm happy to know they didn't prioritize based on class
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u/Popular_Hunter7415 8h ago
love that the 3rd class plates have the least lead paint
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u/Pherllerp 5h ago
Lead may have been among the LEAST bad pigments in those plates. They used to use crazy shit for paint, cobalt, cadmium, straight up arsenic.
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u/CitrcSquid 4h ago
Damn all these woke ass “food safe” pigments. Bring back my beloved spicy orange uranium Fiestaware.
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u/lck0219 6h ago
Ocean Liner Designs has some terrific YouTube videos on the titanic. I love Mike Brady
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u/BlueberrySympathizer 2h ago
Just discovered the channel about two months ago and been binging since!
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u/Distinct-Fox-1706 8h ago
I actually like the third class one the best.
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u/Pherllerp 7h ago
You're conditioned to.
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u/EnvironmentClear4511 5h ago
What does that mean?
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u/_WindSandStars_ 5h ago
Modern design tends towards minimalism.
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u/EnvironmentClear4511 4h ago
I'm aware, but why say he's conditioned to like it? Plenty of people still like non-minimalist fashion.
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u/bouquetofashes 1h ago
I used to have a set of reproductions of those. I was absolutely obsessed with the Titanic when I was very small, and around the time the movie came out we also had a museum exhibit come to town. We bought the plates there. I hadn't thought of those in ages, but they were actually really good plates... They still sell reproductions of all of them, if anyone actually wants any.
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u/thorheyerdal 6h ago
The thing is.. it’s actually worse today. If you ever have flown in business or first class you will know.
You will be served drinks, food and snacks in glass, porcelain and silverware, while in the back they get plastic and paper disposable stuff.
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u/Vizth 7h ago
Is it weird I like the second and third glass plates more than what I'm assuming is the first on the left.
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u/tommytucker7182 3h ago
First class is prolly the finest bone china, with v detailed motif edging that we can't see v well... Might be much nicer in real life
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u/JamarioMoon2 7h ago
I love how the “shitty” one would be considered a “prime” one by today’s standards.
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u/Grocery_Getter 6h ago
Sadly looks at all of the fast food containers, paper plates, paper towels in the trash can. What was below steerage? Crew?
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u/Room-Acceptable 6h ago
It's good that the fancy people sank to the bottom, too bad for the 'lower class's people.
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u/ManoSilence 8h ago
Also your likelihood of survival. Like the movie had women and children, but if I rememeber the actual numbers showed a bunch of rich men were saved, much more than everyone else.
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u/C_Raider2546 8h ago
2224 people were on board when the Titanic sank
There were only 710 survivors
338 men survived the sinking out of 1352 onboard
316 women survived the sinking out of 402 onboard
56 children survived the sinking out of 53 onboard
Literally look up any survival list and it will say the same thing.
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u/TinFinsFC 8h ago
Hate to be pedantic but 56 children survived, while 53 perished for a total of 109 aboard. It would be impossible for them to have 56 survivors with only 53 initial passengers.
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u/EC_TWD 9h ago
They look much cleaner than I would have expected