When is it socially acceptable to share food?

[StarWitness]

From a recent post on Serious Eats (if you are a foodee and not reading this blog-- well, you should start):

With certain friends, ordering repeats is not, under any circumstances, allowed at a meal. Two enchilada orders? Dear heavens, is this some kind of sick joke? Talk about a waste of another sharable dish. For others, sharing food is like sharing gum or toothbrushes. You kind of just don't go there, whether for germ-phobic or territorial reasons. The spectrum ranges from full plate-sharers to nibble-sharers to that food is freakin' mine, step off, anti-sharers.

Of course food-sharing varies by culture and upbringing, but for many Serious Eaters, the pro-smörgåsbord mentality allows you to try many things. (Though we can probably all agree that it's not cool to offer someone a taste, only to have them snatch it up like it's their last supper.) Where do you stand? And how do you handle the issue diplomatically?

So what are your thoughts on the subject?

This isn't something I actively do when I'm at a restaurant with friends and family, beyond offering a sample of what I ordered to my dining companions.

However, the few times I've gone to family-style restaurants where we've had to share everything has been really awesome-- I'm specifically thinking about a time when I was at an Indian restaurant with several friends. Sharing everything was fantastic because I love Indian food but rarely get to eat it, and most Indian restaurants serve their dishes a la carte so the cuisine experience is a bit narrow if you just order one thing and stick with that.

On the other hand, when you're sharing food like this, you have to take your companions' dietary restrictions into consideration (or ostracize them, I guess, but that's not cool), so it can make the dining experience somewhat restrictive.

 

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