That is so interesting. I thought she might using cut-glass bowls not exactly metaphorically but as an example of one of many inherited things you might use, such as china or silver. Do y'all have cast-iron frying plans, too? Those may be the real treasures here in Alabama. Grandma may have had a lot of cut-glass bowls, but she probably had only one cast-iron cornbread pan, and I've heard bitter rivalries can exist about who gets it :).