Most backpacker guesthouses in Cherating serve communal dinner at a set time — typically 7 or 7:30pm. The menu is fixed for the evening: a few Malaysian dishes, sometimes a soup, always rice. The shared table format is one of the best things about staying in Cherating; you'll end up talking to people you'd never meet otherwise. Prices are reasonable. Let your guesthouse know in the afternoon if you want to join — they cook to numbers.