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I wouldnt sit anywhere as I wouldnt go in the first place ...not my kind of "do" to be eating out with a large group of people or strangers....My limit on friends or family meals is about 6 people at a push
Wife (ex) and I would usually sit separately, sometimes at opposite ends of the table. Not because we wanted to be apart but that way we could each talk to more people.
Generally though, I won't take a middle seat. This is not because of shyness but to let somebody else be at the centre of the conversation. Usually grab an end or near-to-end seat.
On holiday in hotel, tables of eight for a Christmas Day meal with people you don't know. First to the table, would you sit at the end or in the middle? Next to your partner or opposite? Decisions, decisions, happened to us Christmas Day!
Does it matter? It wouldn't bother me where I sat.