Recently, giving each dish a pair of serving chopsticks is becoming more and more popular. And while I can certainly see the advantages in hygiene, it detracts in a way from the intimacy of eating in a communal manner.

Assuming that no one in the party is sick or has dietary restrictions or aren’t hygienically gross in general, I always tend to prefer forgoing dedicated serving chopsticks.

It always feels livelier and more relaxed when people are just going for it with their personal pair of chopsticks. Serving chopsticks insert a layer of formality between the food and the people consuming said food—a layer that muffles the atmosphere of a communal table.