So we had a nice meal out but I still don’t get how the Meze thing works?
The waiter advised us to order about three dishes per person, the bread was complimentary
So we did that, but it didn’t come out all together, they brought out a few dishes at a time and put them in the middle to share, then gradually brought out the rest. Is that how it’s usually done?
That would have been fine but one lady thought the dishes she’s chosen we’re supposed to be hers and didn’t get that it was a shared meal
So as soon as the dishes she’d picked came out, she took them and put them over her side of the table, by her bread plate and ate them as her meal. In fairness, she didn’t touch any of the other dishes we’d ordered
So what is the etiquette, share or stick to your own?
I spend a lot of time in Greece, where Meze is the norm.
Meze is all about sharing - in Greek Tavernas, the plates of food are brought out as and when they are ready and placed in the middle of the table for everyone to share.
The only “etiquette” I know of is to accept that Meze is supposed to be relaxed and not rushed so it’s best not to expect all the food to arrive at the same time - each plate is brought out when the food is ready - it’s not good manners to eat food directly from the Meze plates (transfer it to your own plate first) and to be generous about sharing.
Whenever I’ve ordered Meze with a group of friends, we usually each choose a couple of our favourites, so everyone is sure of having something they really like but we still share all the dishes.
Obviously, if someone is a Vegetarian, say, and the spread includes a mix of veggie and meat dishes, the rest of the group would politely not scoff too much of the veggie dishes - they would politely make sure they leave enough of the veggie dishes for the veggie diner.
Sounds a bit like the Chinese Dim Sum … where appetisers and nibbles are put out for an informal little feast between friends.
The Cantonese Chinese do something similar called
Yum Cha (literally means … ‘drink tea’… ) sounds great doesn’t it, and that is eating Dim Sum along with drinking tea.
TBH I never fancy any food that might have been fingered by all and sundry. I never give anyone my last Rollo either.
Thank you, it’s nice to get some advice from an expert, it sounds as if we got it about right
I don’t think the person who didn’t share was being anti social or was squeamish about sharing food, I think she’s just didn’t understand it and once she’d taken that route, couldn’t really go back in it! We’ll get the hang of it better next time!
From your photos, they look like very generous Meze portion sizes - very much like the generous Greek portions!
Some places in U.K. serve much smaller Meze plate sizes.
Although Meze is generally a collection of shared dishes, if one diner prefers particular foods and doesn’t want to try a range of dishes, it wouldn’t bother me if they chose to stick to just a couple of their own chosen plates.
I sometimes meet up with my Sis and sister-in-law for Meze - my Sis and I are veggie but my sis-in-law sometimes adds a favourite meat and/ or fish dish to our order, which she has all to herself. No problem.
The important thing is we all enjoy the evening together.
It was a really nice small family restaurant they were very relaxed and friendly ……and very Greek! I think the food was quite authentic
It didn’t really matter that one of us didn’t join in the sharing, there was loads to go round but I felt a bit sorry for her because the rest of us were tucking in and having fun and having a bit of this and that and she was a bit out of it
Next time I’ll ask straight out if she’d rather have her own or share, she’s a good mate so she won’t mind, she’s used to my big mouth!
The portions were generous and it all worked out very well. We finished off with coffee and had two portions of baklava which we cut up and shared between us
Greek hospitality is second to none - it is an important part of their culture.
I’ve never been to a Greek restaurant where the owner or staff or one of the locals haven’t offered us some complimentary food or drink - sometimes it’s a few nibbles when we just order drinks, sometimes it’s a traditional Greek dessert or a traditional Greek alcoholic drink to finish off the meal.
Sometimes it’s lovely and I don’t need to pretend to enjoy it - and sometimes I struggle to get it down, so as not to offend our hosts!
I’ve only shared a meze that has been ordered for all @Maree so individuals don’t usually order a few dishes, but everyone decides on a selection and then splits the cost between diners. I can understand the confusion if individuals order their own choices.
Have had a couple over the years. We tend to tell the waiters to bring a selection as they see fit, rather than look at a menu we don’t understand and then have no idea what it looks like when it turns up at the table anyway.
yes it’s more about the social side than whether it’s your favourite thing. There’s usually something yummy. They tend to do £x a head for it but there’s always one guest that ends up eating 50%.
Once went on a staff “do” to a teppanyaki restaurant. We all tended to go for the £12-15 main course, except for one of us who ordered the £40 steak. I don’t mind paying a bit more than what I’ve had, that’s the nature of things. But that fella took the mick!!
Not strictly on topic, but not too far off it for a complaint, I hope?
I have no idea what Meze means so I can only go by your description.
If I am in Asia or at a Chinese or Thai restaurant here then we order different dishes and share them as a matter of course. The waiter usually brings out plates and/or bowls as well as a container of rice to share
Australian clubs or restaurants? no, you order what you want .
However I know a few couples who order one meal and an extra plate and divide the meal between them because the portion is too big for one person to eat. (either that or they are just mean buggers)
It’s Greek or Turkish food with lots of small dishes rather than one big meal
I’d never had it before and it was very nice
Very sociable too, because they bring out the food a couple of dishes at a time so it’s very slow and relaxed
When we go out for coffee my mate and me sometimes share a cake, not just because we’re mean buggers (although there is that too!) but to keep our sexy svelte figures
This is the menu. The waiter said to order two to three dishes per person and I think that’s where the confusion came in
She thought she was choosing three dishes for herself whereas really he was just giving a guide for the amount to order for everyone to share
Looks lovely. Of course, it doesn’t take long for the bill to mount up. Last time we went (4 of us in total), with a couple of bottles of house wine and a couple of pints of lager, the bill came to over £200.
Ours worked out at £30 quid each, including a couple of glasses of house wine each, we just ordered bottles for the table, and we all had coffee and split a baklava
I’m glad you started this topic Maree. We’ll be having a bash at making a small variety of mezes, probably a little project for The Easter holidays. It’s not the same as going out of course but I’m inspired…do I have to smash my own plates on the floor?
I suppose there is an English equivalent. Try cooking a full Sunday roast using a small air frier and one hob. You’d end up having only one or two things being ready to bring to the table at a time, on a rolling program.
