Last week I was invited to an arroz, a Spanish lunch where a huge cazuela of rice was on the menu. It is made in the traditional Spanish style, and the rice has no out-of-the-ordinary ingredients. The unusual part is the way in which it is eaten. Instead of using plates, everyone stands around the rice and digs in with a spoon. The rice is filled with both chicken and beef making it super flavorful, and needless to say, not vegetarian friendly.
Two of the girls at the party were vegetarians. Understanding that the Spanish culture does not readily support their dietary needs, they picked around the meat and ate the rice and veggies. While they had no problem eating this rice, would you? If you're squeamish about sharing food or a die-hard vegetarian, would you eat this rice?
Buffalo
Diesel
Oli
I've actually been to one before and I wasn't bothered by everyone digging their spoons in. Oh... and it was delicious!
1Looks really good....I just know myself and I bet the rice would be all over me if I had to eat out of the pan! I'd probably try and ask for a plate.
2I would only have a problem, because everyone is dipping spoons, eating and dipping again.
If you are a veggie, bring your own food to parties if you are so worried about it.
3I voted yes, but I would only do it if the other people eating were friends of mine. I wouldn't eat out of the same bowl as a bunch of strangers.
4I would taste it......If it doesnt taste good to me then I'd just ditch it but if it was really up to my standards then sure, I guess I would eat it....but I dont know what it tastes like....so Im just saying "other."
5I'd eat it! Looks yummy!
6I wouldn't have a problem if I knew everyone who was eating it with me... Probably would have a problem if it was a bunch of strangers...
7it does look really delicious, and I'd eat some on my own but I really don't want to share food with anyone else (okay - maybe my husband, but no one else!)
8I'm from spain and I've never eaten rice this way, we always serve "paella" into individual plates. Furthermore, people I know, and myself, are quite conscious of our vegetarian friends, if people you don't know is comming to dinner to your place the common thing (anywhere) is to tell if you have any special eating needs.
9That said, that rice looks good, but I wouldn't eat from a common place where everyone is dipping their spoon once and again.
Pass me a plate, please.
10No double dipping! That just kind of grosses me out, everyone is putting their spoons in their mouth and then back in the bowl. I am not really comfortable with that.
11Noper.
12Looks good - I'd just pick around the beef. Nobody really ever went out of their way to make special preparations for me when I was a vegetarian, so I'm used to picking around the meat in my food.
As for sharing the same bowl, I don't have a problem with it, if that's the way the food is usually eaten. I had some Ethopian food not too long ago and you share a bowl with everyone else too. If an entire group/culture of people can eat it that way without dying or getting sick after every single meal, then I guess it's good enough for me too.
13Well said, Freegracefrom. I definitely agree with that viewpoint (and with the picking around the beef
)
14I have issues so, because I can't eat behind others no. But, the rice looks so good.
15Yes, its the custom and its truly family style. From the picture they are using the spoon to gather the rice then spread it on bread then eat not putting the spoon in their mouths. It's like Ethiopian cuisine with the eating with your hands and sharing one large piece of bread and sharing a plate.
16No, I'm a vegetarian.
17Yes it looks yummy...
18This would be great to serve at a party where you have the fire pit going outside. Just gather everyone outside, place it over the pit to warm it up and let everyone go crazy. I would probably keep some plates to the side just for those that aren't comfortable.
19I'd be right in there with my spoon. My only reservation would be hoping that is someone was sick, they'd have enough consideration for the rest of us and ask for a plate.
20it depends on who else is eating. i know some pretty sloppy eaters and can get grossed out sometimes.
21I've never heard of an Arroz before but that looks hella good and really fun!
22It looks okay, maybe with a few friends...but otherwise, no. Sounds kind of germy to share with a bunch of people.
23Yes I would
24Of course I would. It's funny because most people don't mind hooking up with strangers when they go out, but they'd never eat from the same plate as a stranger. I don't see any difference. Germs are germs. They're everywhere.
25I would, trying different foods & learning new customs is what life is all about.
26Only with friends!
27Yes, I totally would. It looks delicious!
28That looks amazing. I'd pick around the bits I don't eat, and I have no qualms about food sharing.
29First, I'm a vegetarian. Second, um, no way am I eating out of a pan that a bunch of people are double dipping their spoons into!
30it looks delicious, but i would just get a plate and eat off that.
31Ah, reminds me of how we dip our used chopsticks into the big dishes in the middle of the table in China. And that was part of why that SARS outbreak way back when spread so quickly and killed so many people. Did you know a virus can be contagious 24 hours before the person starts showing symptoms? A person can be a carrier without even knowing it. Now people are more careful about having separate "public" utensils for the dishes in the middle, but since it's been years since the last outbreak, people are lapsing into old habits and digging their used utensils right back in.
Feels kinda bad to diss my own culture, but seriously, there's a reason cultures that do double dipping is such a hotbed for exciting new pandemics. And the fact that these cultures don't get wiped off the face of the earth by said pandemics doesn't prove eating this way is harmless - it just proves that people continue to get busy and replace the dead people.
Of course, if wackdoodle is right and people don't actually eat this rice off their spoons and dip used spoons back in, then I just went way off topic. Haha.
32No, I'm a vegetarian and I have an issue with eating food which has been prepared with meat. That being said I wouldn't make an issue of it and just politely pass. I have no problem with the way it's served/eaten otherwise.
33I think I must be getting old because I wouldn't be into everyone eating and putting their forks back into the food, spreading any germs they have. I wouldn't have given this a thought at one point in time, but now? No can do.
34Absolutely would eat it. I'm no germophobe. I've eaten Chinese family style many times.
35I'm too much of a mess to eat without a plate
36I wouldn't mind eating that way, especially if I were in a situation where tradition and culture come into play.
37Yes, a 100 times yes, if you eat at restaurants you can eat at a community pan. I'm with you verily - not a germophobe. I come from a large family where communal eating is not uncommon. And I'm still here to tell you all about it. Worry about the price of gas not the food.
38I don't think I would be eating from that with strangers. It would have to be a very select group of people for me to dig in.
I recently tried Ethiopian food, but it was only with my husband. I asked for a fork too, b/c I didn't like the Njara(spelling) so I wasn't eating the bread. Loved everything else though.
39I agree. I'd eat out of that if I was with friends or family. It looks great!
40When in Rome... It sounds like the eating was part of the experience. You can't not do it.
41I have too many food allergies to communally share food.
42looks great!
43I'm not comfortable w/ buffets, let alone a huge pot of stuff that everyone breathes over. No thanks.
44I've never known a vegetarian to "pick around" the meat. When you don't eat meat you aren't supposed to just pick around the meat in a dish.
45Mmmm, looks so good! I've never thought twice about eating family style while in China and that's essentially the same thing...but with chopsticks instead of spoons.
46I love rice, and would probably love this, but the double dipping has to stop!
47If I was only with close friends or family, I might be able to handle the idea that everyone's saliva is getting all in it.
Okay, now I'm grossing myself out.
I've never understood why family style is the way it is in China. It's so easy to flip your chopsticks around and use the back end to grab from communal dishes.
48i would be nice about it and say no - that's just not my type of eating.
49looks so f#$^%^&g good.
buck up people. you got bigger things to worry about than a few germs from eating family style (like where the food came from).
tasty and not gonna kill ya. sounds good.
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