Spice O' Life French Phrases

Le Cafe = Coffee
L'Echalote = Shallot
La Marjolaine = Marjoram
Le Persil = Parsley
Le Romarin = Rosemary
La Sauge = Sage
Le The = Tea


P-43 Petite Pan, 2 Qt A-2 Casserole without "La Marjolaine".

Some Spice O' Life pieces do not have a French phrase.  Which ones?

There doesn't seem to be a universal reason why some Spice O' Life items have no French phrases.  At first glance it might seem like an effort to refresh an old favourite with a new uncluttered appearance, but over time the pattern shows no clear evolution one way or the other.  As the pattern aged, new shapes and sizes would appear without lettering, while other new pieces from the same period do have lettering.  In some cases it seems that space restrictions could be the reason for omitting the French phrase.

Even in the early part of the pattern's life cycle, pieces were made without French phrases.  These older pieces include P-series roasters and both sizes of Petite Pans.  While it is true that the large Petite Pan, a P-43, does exist with lettering, this one is newer than the version which excludes lettering.

P-150 Grab-It, P-240 Grab-A-Meal, P-81 Menu-ette without "La Sauge".

Many new Corning Ware items debuted in the late 1970s and early 1980s.  Rangetoppers, Grab-Its and white-spout percolators without lettering were contemporary with Fast-Food Dishes which do have lettering.

Sometimes the same piece can be found decorated either way, and this situation might be a response to preferences by retailer or geographic region.  In particular it is relatively easy to find teapots and chrome-spout percolators decorated both ways.  On the other hand, A-series roasters do exist without lettering, but the version with lettering is far more plentiful.

P-149 10 cup chrome-spout percolator, P-104 teapot.  The design on this teapot is small, as well as missing "Le The".  The percolator's pattern is missing "Le Cafe" and there is one extra little yellow flower along the bottom right edge of the design.

For those pieces with two versions, the difference between them can go beyond the presence or absence of the French phrase, with the arrangement and choice of vegetables in the main design being different.  The P-43 Petite Pan is one example, but the P-4 oblong casserole has two versions with two different French phrases, with changes to the main design as well.

Confounding the issue even further, it is possible to find two otherwise identical items with subtle differences in the main design, independent of the existence of the French phrase, essentially creating a third or even fourth version.  This is especially true of teapots, chrome-spout percolators, and square cookware.  The difference can be as tiny as just a few sprigs of herbs missing around the periphery.  These changes are related to the age of the item, and in general, older pieces have comparatively larger and leafier designs, while newer ones have smaller and pruned-back designs.

Catalogue images from 1973 and 1978, P-104 teapots.  Although both include "Le The", they are not identical and the changes to the main design are apparent.  With two styles of decoration, plus whether the lettering is present, there are actually four versions of the Spice O' Life teapot.

Spice O' Life is the one pattern which can claim the distinction of encompassing the greatest number of product lines.  Besides Corning Ware cookware, it is found on Centura Tableware, Pyrex Store 'N' See, Corelle Livingware and opal Pyrex tabletop accessories.  None of these products include French phrases.

Many of the classic and popular shapes can be found decorated with or without French phrases, and except for the P-43, it is more common to find them with lettering: 

P-43 Petite Pan
Casseroles, Saucepans, Skillets (basic square shape, many sizes)
P-104 teapot
Chrome-Spout Percolators
P-106 Filter-Drip Coffeemaker
Menu-ettes
A-series roasters

The following items never have French phrases: 

P-41 Petite Pan
N-series Rangetoppers
P-166 white-spout percolator
P-150 Grab-It
P-240 Grab-A-Meal
P-14 Casser-ette
P-series roasters

These pieces appear to have French phrases at all times, at least no examples to the contrary have been seen so far: 

P-107 teapot
E-1212 plastic spout percolator
Counter Savers
P-315 loaf pan
P-322 8x8 pan
MC-1 & MC-2 Fast Food Dishes
P-4 oblong casserole
B-series round Buffet Server shapes
Sidekick *

* - Sidekicks in Spice O' Life exist, but whether these were a regular production item remains unclear.  The peculiar aspect about them is that they resemble a P-140, but they are marked PL-003 with: "made expressly for United by Corning".  Although it is not unusual to find Sidekicks made for airline service, they are normally decorated with the airline's logo or just plain white.

Related Articles:

1973 Catalogue
Spice O' Life Corelle (1981)
Compare Tea/Coffee to Cookware 
Compare Teapot Variations
Plastic Spout Electromatic Percolators
Corning Ware Coffee Percolator Recall
Corning Ware Fast Food Dishes
Corning Ware Petite Pans
Corning Ware Teapots
Corning Ware P-4 Casserole