Eating Chinese

I've been overwhelmed by the bounty of the meals I've eaten in China and Taiwan. They've seemed more like feasts or banquets to me, and I finally asked about the order of the meal in order to do a better job of pacing myself. So here goes. Multiple cold dishes come out first. Think appetizers. Then comes the onslaught, delivered in waves. There are many, many side dishes of veggies, tofu and noodles; a couple of larger main courses, usually meat, fish, or tofu; and a tureen of soup. You know the end is in sight when the rice arrives: it's a filler! (Not that I can imagine needing filling up at that point, but...) Finally fresh fruit is served as a dessert. I did make an effort to count dishes at one dinner, and I came up with 17. I am sure many of the other meals included dozens. I've eaten almost all of my lunches and dinners at round tables with large turntables for the communal food. Each place setting includes a medium and small plate, a medium bowl, a small bowl for tea, chopsticks, and a ceramic spoon. Napkins are scarce if not absent, but a wet wipe is provided before the meal. As the food arrives, diners spin the lazy susan and serve themselves. Occasionally there is a service spoon, but usually people use their own spoons or chopsticks. (Some use the opposite ends of their chopsticks to avoid contamination.) I tried to figure out if there was a certain protocol over the use of indivudual plates and bowls, but people seemed to use them differently and at their convenience. I tended to stick more to the soups and veggie and noodles dishes. Chinese cooks use cleavers, and animal-based protein is usually not presented to my satisfaction (too many bone chips, odd bits of skin, eyeballs, etc.). I remember one lunch when a particularly murky dish appeared (third photo). No one at the table seemed to know what it was, but the host tasted it and declared it to be good (albeit with no great enthusiasm). As the dish rotated in our direction, my French colleague insisted that I try it first. ("Merci, mon ami.") He eyed me intently as I sampled, waiting for the verdict. "If I made that mistake in the kitchen," I declared, "I would not bring it to the table!" Needless to say, he passed, and I spinned the offending dish in the other direction.