Four diners, three of them wearing plaid, were ready to enjoy a meal Saturday night at the Sichuan restaurant Peter Chang in Arlington, Virginia. But the dinner took a left turn when the server brought out a family-style bowl of rice.

One of the diners, who had lived in Beijing for much in the 2000s, was surprised by the rice presentation and made a comment to the server, saying "'Oh, you guys don't serve them in individual rice bowls?'," related another diner in the party, who asked to go by his first name, Matt.

Detail from the receipt. Credit:Washington Post

The server told the group that when rice is served to three or more diners at Peter Chang, it comes in a large bowl. The former Beijing resident thought that was odd, considering the family-sized portion ran counter to the personalised bowls he encountered in China. The server then asked if the foursome would like individual rice bowls instead. They declined.

"She said, 'No, no, I can bring it for you," Matt related. "He said, 'No, no, don't worry about it. It's fine. Just wanted to let you know that's the way it's done in China. It's not a big deal ... It just got really awkward."