Do You Share Dishes at Chinese and Other Asian Restaurants?

[Camerus]

It took a bit of getting used to when I first moved here since I had rarely done it before, but now eating "family style" is pretty much second nature for me.

[Sheilbh]

In fact, thinking about it I think there's definitely room in the foodie world for someone to do high quality versions of North American Chinese dishes at some point.

I can think of one interesting example, Fuchsia Dunlop and General Tso's Chicken:
http://www.fuchsiadunlop.com/tag/general-tsos-chicken/
Her book 'Revolutionary Chinese Cooking' gives a big bit about it and she gives a Hunan and a Taiwan version of the recipe - the latter is the 'American' one.

British Chinese restaurants were traditionally Anglo-Cantonese I think, but the big trend now is regional restaurants. I know of at least few very good Sichuanese, Hunanese and Xinjiang restaurants. I think it's probably partly because we're getting more visitors and immigrants from Mainland China, and our own taste is evolving.

Among my friends and family we always share Chinese, Indian, Middle Eastern food - it's relatively normal now, most other people in the restaurants seem to do it. But I think in most of those restaurants the waiters will say you're order and see if you want it individually or 'all in the middle'.

[Fireblade]

Not many Asians in RI.

Had some terriaki chicken on a stick at a Chinese restaurant and bar we'd drink at on Saturday nights, but I never actually ate there.

Wait, wait. I'm late to this thread. But if I can find a Chinese restaurant in every shitty, hick, country-ass town in Arkansas filled with fresh off the boat Asians, then I know Rhode Island has a few Chinese restaurants. Saying you've never had Chinese food until you moved to Korea is like.. fuck, I don't know, saying that you've never eaten a hamburger until recently.

This is a pretty good book about the evolution of Chinese food in America, by the way: http://www.amazon.com/The-Fortune-Cookie-Chronicles-Adventures/dp/B005UWEVJ4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357445687&sr=8-1&keywords=the+fortune+cookie+chronicles

[Richard Hakluyt]

Yeah Otto, that makes complete sense. I think that's a pretty common pattern - its similar to how every Canadian small town usually has a Chinese-Canadian restaurant offering fried rice, chow men and burgers; or how every town in Denmark has (or used to have). "China Grill" serving those same Chinese dishes and roasted chicken.

There is a whole lot of Chinese food adjusted to local sensibilities, including how it's served.

Yes, one of my hobbies when I used to travel a lot more often was to visit a "typical" Chinese restaurant when abroad, to investigate how the menu had been adjusted for the local market. I can no longer recall all the details, but each country had differences and concessions to local tastes.

[Caliga]

In my experience, Chinese places serve you differently depending on whether or not you seem to be Chinese.  So typically when I go to a Chinese restaurant now we get served American-style.  When I was in college I had a Chinese-American roommate and we would often go to Chinese places with another one of our friends from Hong Kong.  I guess because the majority of people in the group were Chinese/Chinese-American, we got served 'family-style' even though they would give me an English menu and them Chinese menus.

The exception to the above these days is of course when I get dim sum, but that's pretty unusual--I only know of one Chinese restaurant in Louisville that offers it.

[Caliga]

Yes, one of my hobbies when I used to travel a lot more often was to visit a "typical" Chinese restaurant when abroad, to investigate how the menu had been adjusted for the local market. I can no longer recall all the details, but each country had differences and concessions to local tastes.

I've heard that Chinese-Indian food is a very interesting blend of those two cuisines... would love to try it sometime.

[Razgovory]

Just take some Chinese food and then smear dirt in it.

[garbon]

In my experience, Chinese places serve you differently depending on whether or not you seem to be Chinese. 

Nope, definitely haven't had that experience. I tend to think it is more on how the place typically operates. I know the fancy Chinese place I went to in Cambridge wasn't thinking I was Chinese.

[Admiral Yi]

I think what restaurants often do as a nod to Western sensibilities is ask who ordered such and such a dish when they bring it to the table, thus giving the customers the option of deciding if each dish should line up right in front of its "owner," or if it doesn't matter.

[merithyn]

I think what restaurants often do as a nod to Western sensibilities is ask who ordered such and such a dish when they bring it to the table, thus giving the customers the option of deciding if each dish should line up right in front of its "owner," or if it doesn't matter.

Hmm. Doesn't seem like that's what they're doing. It seems like they're doing what every other restaurant is doing: giving the food to the person that ordered it.

[Admiral Yi]

Hmm. Doesn't seem like that's what they're doing. It seems like they're doing what every other restaurant is doing: giving the food to the person that ordered it.

I don't understand your post.  Do you mean in your experience with Chinese restaurants they just put the food in front of the person who ordered it, or do you mean that what I'm describing is no different than the standard Western practice?

[sbr]

I always thought people who ordered individual meals at Chinese restaurants were kind of weird.

[Jaron]

In my experience, they put an empty dish in front of you and put the food in the middle of the table, with each dish closest to the person who ordered it.

[merithyn]

I don't understand your post.  Do you mean in your experience with Chinese restaurants they just put the food in front of the person who ordered it, or do you mean that what I'm describing is no different than the standard Western practice?

Your post seems to indicate that the Chinese restaurants could or would go either way (family style or individual serving) based on what the customers indicate. I'm saying that in my experience, it seems more like the Chinese restaurants that I've gone to aren't expecting to serve the food family style at all, and instead, just put the food next to whomever ordered it as the default.

There's no hesitation, no question of where to put the food, etc. It is exactly the same as when I go to Olive Garden.

[Jaron]

I don't understand your post.  Do you mean in your experience with Chinese restaurants they just put the food in front of the person who ordered it, or do you mean that what I'm describing is no different than the standard Western practice?

There's no hesitation, no question of where to put the food, etc. It is exactly the same as when I go to Olive Garden.

When you're there, are you family...