Pros and Cons: Family-Style Dinner
Sharing meals—culinary highlight or battle for food?
Pro
When dining together in a “family style” restaurant, all the dishes ordered are placed in the middle of the table and, ideally, shared democratically among everyone. This doesn't work equally well with all friends: some may be greedy and leave nothing for the others, while others don't eat meat or fish, which makes ordering more difficult.
Despite minor adversities, the “shared plates” concept, as it can also be called, is a culinary highlight for me! How else could I try four starters, three main courses, and four desserts without hopelessly overeating? It's also not reprehensible to order one or more bottles of wine to share and split the bill amicably.
My girlfriend and I enjoyed the “family-style dinner” so much that we now prefer to eat out this way. We now also know which of our friends are best suited to this communal concept and with whom it is better to order separately.
Con
One of my childhood friends grew up with two siblings. Food envy was a daily occurrence in their home—no matter how much their parents had cooked. He recounted this anecdote from his childhood during a meal we shared. The food should have been shared by everyone. The emphasis is on the word “should.”
The fear of not getting enough food seems to be deeply ingrained in my friend. Before you knew it, he had shoveled most of the food onto his plate and into his mouth. Those who were too slow went hungry that evening. We involuntarily experienced firsthand what it must have been like in his family back then.
I could have done without that. As a bon vivant, I consciously take my time when eating, tasting the components of a dish separately and together. But that's not possible with “shared plates” or “family style” concepts when the table becomes a battlefield. I'd rather cook my own soup, or rather, eat it—in peace!