"TIPPING IS NOT A PLACE IN CHINA"..LOL. THAT IS WHAT WAS WRITTEN ON A SIGN AT "THE DUBLINER" ON THE MAIN ROAD BEFORE THEY CLOSED. WHAT DOES IT MEAN? IT MEANS "PLEASE GIVE TIPS." SOME PEOPLE MAY WONDER WHAT IS THE PROPER ETTIQUETE FOR TIPPING ON IOS. WELL, LET'S DIG A BIT DEEPER.
FIRST, YOU HAVE YOUR AUSSIES. WHY DO AUSSIES NOT TIP? ARE THEY CHEAP BASTARDS? NO, THEY ARE NOT. IT'S JUST THAT IN AUSTRALIA, TRADITIONALLY THE TIP IS ALREADY ADDED TO THE BILL. SO, AUSSIES (BLESS THEIR HEARTS) USUALLY DO NOT KNOW ANY BETTER. WHAT ABOUT ITALIANS? ACCORDING TO THE GIRLS AT SEVEN-ELEVEN CAFE, ITALIANS DO NOT TIP AND I'M NOT REALLY SURE WHY. OF COURSE, THE AMERICANS TIP LIKE NO OTHER NATIONALITY. IN THE STATES, IT IS CUSTOMARY TO LEAVE 10-20% OF THE BILL (BEFORE THE TAX). 15% WOULD BE THE AVERAGE WHILE 20% OR MORE WOULD BE FOR SOMEONE THAT DID A LOT OF RUNNING BACK AND FORTH FOR YOU AND WAS SUPER FRIENDLY.
HERE'S SOMETHING I FOUND ON THE INTERNET ABOUT TIPPING:
There's evidence that tipping goes back at least to the age of the Romans, but human nature being what it is, it could just as easily date from the invention of money. Luckily for us, etymologists have managed to come up with a selection of deeply fascinating etymologies for the phrase "to tip." The dullest and most likely has it coming from the Latin stips, meaning "gift."
The most charming explanation refers us back to the days of Dr. Johnson and his eighteenth century circle of wits. Upon entering his local coffee shop, Dr. Johnson would drop a few pence in a box labeled "To Insure Prompt Service" ("T.I.P.S"--get it?) in order to encourage a greater display of vigor on the part of the generally listless attendants. Tipping spread from England to colonial America, but after the revolution it was frowned upon (temporarily) as a hangover from the British class system. One only tipped one's social inferiors, which, lest we forget, did not exist in the brave new world.
Unfortunately, the working class eventually got around to swallowing its pride, and tipping returned with all the fervor it possesses today. Even the Communist countries have not entirely eliminated the practice. These days, of course, taxi drivers and wait persons depend on tips for a substantial part of their income. If you didn't tip, presumably they'd expect to be paid more, and your restaurant bills and taxi fares would consequently be higher. The fifteen percent standard is mostly a question of what the market will bear. In New York, the figure these days are twenty percent; European restaurants generally add a ten percent gratuity to the bill.
SO, MY ADVICE TO YOU IS TO TRY AND TIP AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. IT'S GOOD KARMA AND YOU HELP OUT PEOPLE WHO NEED IT PROBABLY MORE THAN YOU.
3 comments:
I HATE IT WHEN I WORK HARD TO SERVICE A TABLE AND THEY LEAVE NO TIP. IT'S GOOD TO SEE SO MANY OF YOU TIP 20% OR MORE!!
I'm aware that most of my fellow Italians & indeed Europeans do not tip. Unfortunately it's not a custom in Italy as the salaries for waiting are half-decent. To avoid any bitterness, I would recomment taking the American approach: when handing the bill to tourists, also leave a small 'brochure' explaining tipping etiquette. I'm sure it would work wonders.
Good point!! Thank you for your insightful comment.
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