Lay Off My Food

[dcarch]

Hot pot = food sharing.

 

dcarch

[kayb]

Well, SOMEONE certainly gave the guy a shiner.

 

The very first time I ever had duck confit, it was from a meal my dining companion had ordered at a restaurant in Atlanta. It was so marvelous I probably ate half his dinner; I just couldn't stop. In fairness, he probably ate half my pork loin chop.

 

If people are good with sharing, and the restaurant doesn't object, I love it as a way to experience more of the menu. Occasionally, as was the case recently when I was out for a good dinner with friends, I come across a dish I wish I'd ordered all to myself, but I'll know to do that next time.

 

[liuzhou]

On 1/11/2017 at 11:25 PM, kayb said:

If people are good with sharing, and the restaurant doesn't object, I love it as a way to experience more of the menu.

 

I totally agree. In fact, living in China, that is how we nearly always eat (apart from maybe a bowl of noodles). What I objected to was someone saying they didn't want something which I did, then eating what they didn't want from my plate. That, I think, is somewhat different.

Edited September 2, 2018 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

1 hour ago, kayb said:

Well, SOMEONE certainly gave the guy a shiner.

 

Maybe. I have never seen the picture I am supposed to have linked to. Nor do I want to.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

14 hours ago, liuzhou said:

I don't know what you are looking at but my link only contains a stock photo of a grilled Chinese sandwich. It also has a link to New York Post coverage of the same story, which again has no such image, but a link to a YouTube video, which also has no image of the man alleged to have been involved.

 

Your link takes me to the Fox news site where there is indeed a photo of a grilled cheese, then some text of the article, then a photo of the suspect's booking photo. I just rechecked it and the photo is still there. It may have been added after you posted your link or it may be an effect of China's oversight of web content. I also checked my browser history, and that is where I got the idea I'd seen this photo. Which I most definitely had, so I am not going senile ... yet. 

 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

15 hours ago, Shalmanese said:

What? No Western restaurant I've ever been to has operated like that. Western restaurants deliver a fixed amount of food to your table for a fixed price and then generally don't care what personal arrangements you make after that.

 

I said they are the exception, which they are, but they exist. Here are a few examples:

Buckner's Family Restaurant, Jackson, GA
Hollyhock Hill Restaurant, Indianapolis, IN  Several eG members have been here, and documented this one.

The Salt Lick, Driftwood, TX

 

We used to have more of these restaurants, but with our declining economy they are disappearing along with the still more common, but also declining buffets. 

 

The only local restaurant we have had recently that served unlimited food with table service is Mamma Mia's Italian in Apex, NC. They lasted a year or two with this offer, then went to one weekday night with it, and now it is all plated meals. Buffets are also disappearing, but there are a few left in town. There are no pizza buffets left, but I am going to a South Indian vegetarian buffet tomorrow for lunch.

 

I have also enjoyed seafood meals at The Hungry Fisherman with all the fried seafood you could eat with table service just outside Memphis, Tn. These were not served what we consider "family style", but rather if you requested more, it would be served hot out of the fryer on your plate from the kitchen by waitstaff. This was in the 70's. As more fall below the poverty line, and homelessness increases, these kinds of bountiful feasts are harder and harder to find here. Heck, it's hard to find a decent salad bar anymore, and I have been to some spectacular ones in better times. Now the fast food restaurants are keeping condiments behind the counter so the homeless or poor don't come in and scarf them. 

 

So yeah, this kind of service is rare now, but is part of our history and still exists to a small extent. So don't mess with my beautiful memories.  

[donk79]

On 1/11/2017 at 1:29 AM, Thanks for the Crepes said:

By the way, we serve meals family-style frequently here in the U.S. at home, but not so much in restaurants. There are a few restaurants that do that though, and they are definitely the exception. At home, the host always makes sure there is plenty for everyone, and that usually means leftovers. I suspect so very few restaurants here do it because they are focused on their profit margins and don't want to be taken advantage of by big eaters. The Chinese restaurants here that do it limit their losses by serving it family-style, but when the dish is empty, it's empty. Order another. Western restaurants that serve family style will refill the bowl until everyone gets satisfied.

I suspect family-style dining is becoming an increasing rarity in the US.  I have been to a number of places that serve this way.  It is even more common (though still rare) for sides to be served this way.  I cannot remember any family-style service that did not include refills.

 

Most of the family-style services I have experienced have been connected in some way to Pennsylvania Dutch culture (ie Amish, Mennonite, etc.).  Maybe this is a relic that they have held on to?  Or maybe it has to do with their own cultural preferences and emphasis on sharing in community.

[hongda]

A local popup serves only family style, which allows them to concentrate on a few dishes. 

 

http://www.maepdx.com/