There have been many occasions when a group of Chinese men often have seen me dining alone in my neighbourhood and have invited me to join their table to share their food and beer (of course this was before Covid times…).
We do not exchange names or contact details. We do not ask where we work or how much money we make. We just eat together and then leave, never again to see each other.
I was initially worried about sitting with strangers. But after a while, I understood that many common folks in China have not really seen or been with foreigners and as such they are very curious and thus the friendly invitation.
I actually started liking these moments because they were always fun and memorable. There were no pretensions or expectations on either sides.