Cooperative Dining

Hi, this is one of the first of (hopefully many) posts from me on the board.

I know Lao Sze Chuan has been covered by many posters before, but I had a singular experience at Lao a few weekends ago. The details follow: My boyfriend and I put our name on the list/got our number from the host, and we waited for about 20 minutes in the courtyard. The host came out several times to call out the numbers of people who put their names on the list but left, presumably to eat elsewhere without letting the host know they wouldn't be dining at Lao. At this point there were three tables ahead of us: a four-top, and two two-tops. The host asked each group waiting if it'd be okay for him to seat them with other diners. Everyone ahead of us said no. It was pretty strange because before they answered, each group looked around at the others waiting outside next to them and decided that dining alongside fellow humans would be unacceptable. The tables are pretty close together at Lao to begin with, so I'm perplexed as to why so many people wouldn't want to share a table?

Anyway, my boyfriend and I said yes, and the host said "Thank you," and went inside. He came back out and said that we would sit down first since we agreed to eat with other patrons. I expected to be sat down at a table that already had people eating, but we weren't - we were sat at the empty, large round table next to the cash register. And the host didn't seat anyone else with us right away. It took another 20 minutes before another couple agreed to be sat with strangers and then we had some new dining companions. This table was for 6-7 people, and I wondered why the host didn't just seat the 4-top there? The only reason I can come up with is that Chinese culture welcomes cooperation.

BTW, we always take a long time to order, but the host told us that we would get our food first (before the other couple at our table) since we agreed to eat amongst strangers first. We had the Salt and Pepper Lamb - crispy fried bits of lamb with small diced red and green peppers sauteed in a salty/peppery brine (the peppers are more of a garnish than a side of veggies) and our favorite dish - Dong Po pork with fat - succulent hunks of pork (I think from the leg) on the bone swimming in an ultra-rich and sweet brown sauce.

But I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience with the cooperative dining, not just at Lao (excluding the seemingly newfangled communal table concept at New American restaurants). I'm wondering if this happens with any frequency anywhere, and I'm willing to bet if it does, it's most likely to happen at "ethnic" restaurants.

Thanks!

I've had it happen on numerous occasions in crowded Chinese restaurants everywhere. In Cantonese it's called "tap toi" - I can't come up with the equivalent in Mandarin . I can't say I've ever been asked to share a table at any other ethnic restaurant. It's probably that the places I visited weren't packed to the gills.

I will never forget the time we sat down as a family at Great Lake, only to find that the group of strangers we welcomed to sit with us contained an LTHer I'd broken bread with before! (at that time, I don't think you had the option of sharing the table - it was a 10-seater and at the time pretty much the only one - sharing was implicit in dining in.)

Mhays wrote:I will never forget the time we sat down as a family at Great Lake, only to find that the group of strangers we welcomed to sit with us contained an LTHer I'd broken bread with before!

Mhays, I bet that made you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside!

Additionally, I'm not "authorized" to view your link. I'll have to look that one up on my own.

cabrito wrote:Additionally, I'm not "authorized" to view your link. I'll have to look that one up on my own.

If it was the Great Lakes link, I checked to find it brought me to the intended post. There's no lock or privacy issues on this board. I don't quite understand what happened to you.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:

cabrito wrote:Additionally, I'm not "authorized" to view your link. I'll have to look that one up on my own.

If it was the Great Lakes link, I checked to find it brought me to the intended post. There's no lock or privacy issues on this board. I don't quite understand what happened to you.

Regards,

Weird...I'm having the same authorization issue:


Click image to enlarge

Sorry, folks, I figured out what the problem was - my error, I'd posted a dead link. It didn't really contain much further information, anyway, other than the story I related.

It's not too unusual:
If you go to Avec, you're going to share a table -- and the time I was there, my neighbors even shared a few delicacies!
Most teppanyaki joints seat 6-10 at a griddle table before they'll take an order.

I've only done that on train trips to Denver and New Orleans. By the way, the California Zephyr has the world's best apple pie.

JoelF wrote:It's not too unusual:
If you go to Avec, you're going to share a table -- and the time I was there, my neighbors even shared a few delicacies!
Most teppanyaki joints seat 6-10 at a griddle table before they'll take an order.

I dunno, I think the OP is trying to differentiate between establishments where (i) communal dining is part of the experience (teppanyaki/robata/sushi bar etc) or built into the restaurant concept (ala Avec), vs (ii) a place where separate table dining is the norm, but where they occasionally seat parties together. I suppose the equivalent would be going to Kuma's and having them seat pairs together at a 4-top. I think I have seen it happen, but rarely and only at very casual dining spots.

Puppy wrote:

JoelF wrote:It's not too unusual:
If you go to Avec, you're going to share a table -- and the time I was there, my neighbors even shared a few delicacies!
Most teppanyaki joints seat 6-10 at a griddle table before they'll take an order.

I dunno, I think the OP is trying to differentiate between establishments where (i) communal dining is part of the experience (teppanyaki/robata/sushi bar etc) or built into the restaurant concept (ala Avec), vs (ii) a place where separate table dining is the norm, but where they occasionally seat parties together.

Yes, that would be the distinguishing factor. Thanks for clarifying, Puppy.

cabrito wrote:But I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience with the cooperative dining, not just at Lao (excluding the seemingly newfangled communal table concept at New American restaurants). I'm wondering if this happens with any frequency anywhere, and I'm willing to bet if it does, it's most likely to happen at "ethnic" restaurants. Thanks!

I have been a frequent guest at various Basque restaurants where you are generally seated with strangers as a rule. Your entree is generally served directly to you with various family-style side dishes. It is kind of a crap shoot. Some people will not talk, others will. Last time, they seated me with the headliner (a country music star) who was headlining at the local casino.

We were seated with a another couple at a Cantonese noodle house in a restaurant in Phildelphia's Chinatown.

In general, I don't mind unless we have a serious discussions planned.

My first time at Tank Noodle I was seated immediately after a few parties ahead of me declined to sit at the large, round, communal table. It was my first pho experience and I was finding it difficult to get a perfect bite of everything I wanted to fit on my spoon. I ended up alternating between a spoon and pair of chopsticks until I noticed the most adept among us at our table. She was tag teaming the pho with a spoon in one hand chopsticks in the other, slurping broth while biting noodle and beef all at the same time without ever putting her hands down. It was impressive and I appreciated the opportunity to learn from her pho-style without (hopefully) being too intrusive at our communal table.

We've been in line places where they are looking for 4 or 6 but finding only 2 - turned around and said "who wants to join us and make a 4 or 6" and gotten some folks who are game.