“The chafing dish once used, becomes a necessary adjunct to the dining room. from breakfasts to late suppers at home or afield is it always welcome, for, besides the practical advantage of preparing a hot savoury dish at a moment’s notice, it awakens sociability in the same way as does a blazing fire.
In the United States, its home, it is to be found in practically every household, and its chafing-dish cookery has become an art. It originated on the tables of the wealthy, but soon spread to the humblest flats. At picnics, after the theatre, in camp or on yachts, the spirit lamp burns beneath blazers of lobster or creamed chicken, while the host stirs (it is usually the men who assume command of the dish), and the guests, gathered about him, offer laughing suggestions.”
Here are some chafing dishes!
Lois Elsden 
Like Sunday buffets at an Indian Restaurant
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Absolutely… I still can’t quite imgine actually cooking any of the recipes at table with all the guests sitting around… I bet there were some hilarious mishaps! I wonder if Wodehouse wrote about them at all? if he didn’t, he should have!
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I suppose the nearest thing would be fondue?
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