Separate and Shared Dining · FFET10418
Individual servings and shared dishes
Meals can have individual portions or shared dishes, with serving chopsticks available at the table.
Eating from separate portions, and eating from shared dishes around one table.
With individual servings, each diner receives a portion; with shared dishes, food is placed in the middle of the table for everyone to take. Banquet accounts describe both diners taking food from central dishes with their chopsticks and Cantonese banquets called meirenmei, where portions are served individually. Shared dishes can also be served with communal chopsticks and spoons.
What
Individual servings and shared dishes are two ways to serve and eat a meal: food is either portioned for each diner or placed in the middle of the table to share.1,2
When
Early banquet accounts describe seating by direction, while etiquette passages set rules for individual mats and eating together. These accounts do not directly establish when individual servings or shared dining began. Modern articles place the development of shared dining in the Tang–Song period, but the timing of the change remains uncertain.1,2,3,4
Where
Both arrangements occur in Chinese dining. Cantonese banquets called meirenmei serve food in individual portions.5
How
Shared dining places dishes in the middle of the table, and banquet accounts describe diners taking food with their own chopsticks. Shared dishes can also come with communal chopsticks and spoons for serving; individual service gives each diner a separate portion.1,5
Why
One modern interpretation argues that shared dining suits a desire for equality and sociability while requiring less tableware. This is one explanation for its persistence.2
Impact and influence
A 2020 report described restaurants in several cities adopting serving chopsticks and spoons, with mixed acceptance among diners: some already used them, while others found them inconvenient.1