Etiquette Tuesday: Sharing.

©JohnnaKnowsGoodFood

Family style dining is exactly what the title suggests:  sharing.  Family style dining in restaurants is loosely based on the dining you would do at home.  Gathered around the table, swapping bowls and sharing huge sides and entrees is common in a family style dining setting.  These three sentences were all to preface those that need to hear about this week’s Etiquette Tip:  remember, we are sharing.

Family style dining is one of my favorite ways to see who’s a tad selfish, greedy and the like.  It brings out all the characteristics in one quick swoop.  Because you are sharing, this means you should not take 75% of the dish before anyone else has had a bite.  Additionally, if you are the one who ordered the dish perhaps in a Carmine’s type setting and it was agreed that all dishes would be shared, do not be selfish in sharing your entrée.  The germaphob should also be careful about engaging in family style dining.  There is a lot of sharing but hopefully your other guests have good etiquette and choose to keep the community spoon/fork/knife in the community bowl versus using their own personal utensil to scoop out of the dish.

Family style dining is so much fun and cost efficient.  The DC has embraced it with restaurants such as Carmine’s and Honey Pig encouraging sharing versus individual dishes.  For a night out at dinner running you under $30, family style dining is an ideal way to link up with a group of friends.  Who would have thought the first lesson of kindergarten would be so prevelant in your adult social life??  Unfortunately, some people were absent that day so Etiquette Tuesday saves the day once again.

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