oh,yeah, and the etamology..

porcelain
/porslin/

• noun 1 a white vitrified translucent ceramic. 2 articles made of this.

— ORIGIN Italian porcellana ‘cowrie shell’, hence ‘chinaware’ (from its resemblance to the polished surface of cowrie shells).


but why did the italian call cowrie shells porcellana? porcellana refers to an anataomical part of female pig--something only a sow would have..

makes you reluctant to eat off of porcelian dishes!