Originally Posted by
tentseller
The idea of cracking pepper at the table or adding last minute fresh herb is to preserve the aroma of these herbs and pepper instead of it being heated or steamed by the food on the way to your table from the kitchen.
I get the idea of that, but surely people still need to taste the food first to see if it is needed? Plenty of chefs do use pepper to season e.g. sauces while they are being cooked, so whilst the taste may vary slightly, the dish may not need additional pepper.
Overall, I think I would rather a small pepper grinder was available on the table (not pre-ground pepper) and then there isn't any awkwardness!