Following is a story I’ve heard told by a Chinese woman who lives in Shenzhen. I think it’s interesting to see how this story, an amusing anecdote to Chinese, will simply not be understood by most foreigners (who don’t live in China) unless explained to them:

“We were having a meal at a restaurant with two foreigners, and asked them what dishes would they like to order. The first foreigner, who was relatively acquainted with Chinese cuisine, asked for “Gong Bao Ji Ding” ( some dish of chicken with peanuts). The second foreigner asked for a soup. When the “Gong Bao Ji Ding” arrived, the first foreigner pulled it over to his side of the table, said “ok this dish is mine” and started eating it all by himself. Then the other foreigner got his soup…”

The key points to understand the story are:
1. In a Chinese meal, typically all dishes are shared by everyone.
2. Soups in China are usually huge dishes enough for all the diners to share…