Family style = a big platter of food for multiple people to put on their own plates. Otherwise, you're just sharing your food with someone else.
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This thread is for non-fiction TV, including but not limited to reality television (So You Think You Can Dance, Top Chef: Masters, Project Runway), documentaries (The History Channel, The Discovery Channel), and sundry (Expedition Africa, Mythbusters), et al. [NAFDA]
Kathy A - Jan 08, 2009 7:26:09 am PST #7646 of 23273
We're very stretchy. - Connie Neil
lisah - Jan 08, 2009 7:28:50 am PST #7647 of 23273
Punishingly Intricate
I think either could be called family style. Sometimes, in a family, you have one big dish (say, lasagne). Sometimes you have multiple dishes (say, roast beef with sides).
Amy - Jan 08, 2009 7:33:48 am PST #7648 of 23273
Because books.
Both, I think.
Jessica - Jan 08, 2009 7:36:15 am PST #7649 of 23273
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset
I think any time the restaurant puts the food in the middle of the table it qualifies as "family style."
Amy - Jan 08, 2009 7:38:44 am PST #7650 of 23273
Because books.
We used to go to a nice Chinese place up on Second Avenue, Maple Garden I think it was called, and even though everyone would order something, it was all served on a big lazy Susan in the middle of the table, so everyone could share. I like it that way -- it's much nicer than asking for bites off someone else's plate.
sumi - Jan 08, 2009 7:38:57 am PST #7651 of 23273
Art Crawl!!!
What Jessica said - which is why when Jeff said something about Tapas with lots of small dishes I was concerned.
flea - Jan 08, 2009 7:39:00 am PST #7652 of 23273
information libertarian
In restaurant-speak, I think Family style is what Jessica said, and the alternatives are French Service or Russian Service - one is pre-plated food delivered to each individual (lay left raise right!), and the other is you have an empty plate and a waiter comes around with a tray of roast beef slices and serves each person in turn, then another waiter comes with the beans, etc. I can't remember which is which.
megan walker - Jan 08, 2009 7:44:34 am PST #7653 of 23273
"What kind of magical sunshine and lollipop world do you live in? Because you need to be medicated."-SFist
We used to go to a nice Chinese place up on Second Avenue, Maple Garden I think it was called, and even though everyone would order something, it was all served on a big lazy Susan in the middle of the table, so everyone could share.
This to me is the distinction. Family-style means people do not order individual things. Of course, Chinese restaurants are almost by default served family-style, but I have only seen a restaurant specify "family style" when it was something like an Italian place, or some restaurant that would normally serve individual plates.
It was actually Jeff's tapas comment that set off our discussion.
Jesse - Jan 08, 2009 8:04:00 am PST #7654 of 23273
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.
French service is apparently the one where they put the food on your plate at the table. [link] Like at events at the Waldorf!
megan walker - Jan 08, 2009 8:04:39 am PST #7655 of 23273
"What kind of magical sunshine and lollipop world do you live in? Because you need to be medicated."-SFist
Those French, it's like they have a different word for everything!