Eating Italian in China - to share or not to share

Today, at a pizza restaurant, I watched a group of 5 youngish Chinese friends eat together.  They ordered, it seemed, one each of many things - salad, pizza, lasagna, fries.  And as each dish came, they put it in the middle of the table and everyone shared.  They ate just like at a Chinese restaurant but at an Italian restaurant.  It was interesting.  Instead of the western way of eating many foods at restaurants, (we each order a dish and eat that without sharing - except for maybe big pizzas or piles of crawfish), in China, they never do that (unless you order noodle soup or something).  It's always in the middle (sometimes on a lazy susan) and everyone shares.  I kind of like this sharing.  It's more convivial.  It is interesting how people reinterpret food.

Also, they serve warm water here.  Not tea (as I hoped), not cold water, but warm/hot water, with meals out.  I like this (but still wish it were tea).  My Chinese tutor tells me that the Chinese don't really eat cold foods (or drink cold water). They don't think it's healthy.  So they cook things like cucumber and lettuce (some sometimes eat that uncooked).  But something like potato is only cooked til crunchy (not till soft like we do).  Also interesting how the same ingredients can be prepared differently.