is there a downside to using a wood mortar and pestle? I bought a wooden (uhh, stained bamboo?) mortar and pestle today at an asian supermarket. I liked it because it looked nice and it was pretty large, especially for the price. I was also thinking that the larger size would help with peppercorns not flying out of it -- and landing ... somewhere... wait where did that go anyway?

I have to wonder though: are there any downsides to an MP set made of wood?
There are at least three potential downsides:


wood is quite light, so you will not get the benefit of added weight of the pestle for crushing;
many wooden mortars have a smooth texture, which will not aid in the grinding as much as, e.g., a coarse ceramic mortar; and
wood is porous—increasingly so as it dries over time—so it may have the tendency to pick up the flavors of its contents.