Monday-morning quarterbacking

I never gave much thought to our method of dispensing food at meals until we performed the 'post-game analysis' of Thanksgiving dinner. After having French friends over for dinner on numerous occasions, we have come to one conclusion... buffet serving is just too uncomfortable for them ... We can not continue doing it over here.

But wait.. Buffet is a FRENCH WORD, isn’t it?
Reference.com says this:
History
While serving oneself at a meal has a long history, the modern buffet was developed in France in the 18th century, soon spreading throughout Europe. The term originally referred to the sideboard where the food was served, but eventually became applied to the form. The buffet became popular in the English-speaking world in the second half of the nineteenth century.

I wondered if maybe we were overreacting to our observation...
I think back on my own experiences... Thanksgiving, Christmas, family dinners, get-togethers with friends... we put out all the food, then everyone grabs a plate and serves themselves. If you want more... no problem…. Just get up and serve yourself some more food. At Thanksgiving, there’s often more food than you can fit on your plate so you actually PLAN for ROUND II.

But that’s not how it’s done here and we realize that. Each course begins with the passing around the table of one single dish and then each person takes a serving. If a large crowd is gathered, it can take a lonog time... and if someone gets heavily involved in conversation, the process can actually stop for a while! Then, eating begins only after all have been served. We can’t go on to the next course until everyone has finished the first one. I am a very slow eater and often feel weird as I hold up the process. But it’s OK... no one is in a hurry.

It’s strange... even when more than one food is being served, it is always on just one plate... a platter .. and it is passed around. My problem is that my current casserole-type dishes typically are heavy and are too hot to pass around anyway. I guess I need to work on it. ... at least when I serve French friends...