A clay pot of chicken and shiitake stews in the middle of a round table as chopsticks lift out a mushroom, dishes of tofu, greens and a steamed fish ring it, and a small wooden tray beside it holds one person's own rice, soup and greens.
Apart and together
Introduction
Eating from separate portions, and eating from shared dishes around one table.
Separate and shared dining covers eating from individual portions and eating from shared dishes around one table. In a Han banquet mural people sit on mats and eat from separate low tables, one share each. One view holds that shared dining first appeared in the Tang and developed fully only in the Northern Song; accounts differ on when the change was complete. In recent years the slogan of one portion, two serving utensils and bringing your own has been promoted, with serving chopsticks used to share dishes. The subject here is the manner of eating and how it changed, while the format of banquets belongs to Banquets and seating and toasts to Seating and Toasts.