Dave Smith wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> On 2017-09-12 12:46 PM, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> > On Monday, September 11, 2017 at 7:23:04 PM UTC-4, cshenk wrote:
> > > Dave Smith wrote in rec.food.cooking:
>
> > > Yes, I think it a given many of us tend to overeat at a buffet.
> >
> > It's about variety. If we're presented with only one or two
> > foods, it's easy to stop. The palate becomes "tired". However,
> > with a buffet, it's continually presented with fresh stimulation,
>
> It is a legitimate form of presenting/serving food. When dealing with
> a number of people with diverse tastes you offer them a wide variety
> of food and people help themselves to the things they like are want
> to try. Unfortunately, the tend to attract people who view the array
> as a trough and a chance to eat as much as they can.
>
> It is also a way to serve pot luck. You put it out and people help
> themselves. There are people who like to attend potluck meals and go
> out of their way to make something special, something that people
> will rave about. Then there are those who make the absolute minimal
> contribution and then make complete pigs of themselves on the food
> that others provided.
>
> >
> > I have the same trouble at a local Ethiopian restaurant. They
> > serve perhaps half a dozen different dishes on a platter
> > covered with injera. I eat to the point of discomfort because
> > there are so many different tastes.
>
>
> We used to go to an Ethiopian restaurant in Montreal when my son was
> living there. We generally left the ordering up to him because he was
> more familiar with the food and the serving sizes. Maybe I don't eat
> out often enough to follow the trends. Chinese food was common around
> here for years and the dishes have always been intended to be shared.
> People were given plates and the dishes were served in platters or
> serving bowls. I later discovered Thai food and it always used to
> follow that same style of serving. There have been a couple new Thai
> restaurants that have opened up that serve the dishes as entrees and
> everyone orders their own. Only the rice is served as a communal dish.

Oh I dearly love the 'family style' where everyone orders a bit
different then share to smaller plates with bits they like!

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