My first memorable experience of communal dining occurred years ago in Florence. Hungry, my sister and I happened upon Ristorante Il Latini. We were ushered into the busy restaurant, sat between Italians (locals)and Germans (fellow travellers) and had a great evening sharing food, wine and conversation with our dining companions. I can think of many other restaurants – in Italy, New York, Vancouver, San Francisco – where communal dining as been the standard or an option for years. We offer a communal table at Cook Street and all of the tables at Bridge are meant to be shared. Trend or tradition? Is there a better tradition than joining others to share a meal? Nope.
http://insidevancouver.ca/2010/04/07/communal-dining-catches-on-in-vancouver/
