There's a phone-in going on at my place of work, with curly sandwiches and warm white wine. It's a strange eating etiquette.

Everyone's standing around the plates of food, but nobody seems to dare take anything for fear of seeming greedy, with lots of sideways and downwards glances at the food. These glances also serve as distraction away from making polite conversation or eye contact with others.

They're all being very careful not to be seen to eat too much, take the biggest or the best.

It reminds me of a Piet Hein Grook on Social Mechanism:

When people always
try to take
the very smallest
piece of cake
how can it also
always be
that that's the one
that's left for me?

More.