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I’m an American citizen living abroad. I’m damn well going to learn from how things are done elsewhere, and try to bring any practices I find good back to the c

I’m an American citizen living abroad. I’m damn well going to learn from how things are done elsewhere, and try to bring any practices I find good back to the country that belongs to me as much as it belongs to any American here. And no, I’m not going to “declare my intentions to the wait staff”. Another feature of restaurants in certain other countries that I’d like to see brought to the USA, is minimal interaction with wait staff. At a restaurant I want to be left alone to talk the people I came there to dine with, and the inane exchanges with wait staff and their feigned positivity (which they feel obliged to feign because of the tip culture) are tiresome. Again, wait staff have multiple avenues available to them should they wish to increase their remuneration, like political involvement to shape legislation and organized labor, without expecting anything from customers.

dghlsakjg 3y ago
You aren’t trying to change culture, you’re just being selfish. If the “custom” you are bringing back only benefits you at the expense of others, you need to rethink how you are “being the change”. Stiffing waiters is shitty behavior, especially when you know the expectation, and withhold expressing your intent to act contrary to custom to your own exclusive benefit. Ask for them to include service in the price they charge you so you can protest without it being at someone else’s expense. In countries where tipping isn’t the norm the service is built into the price, so if you are going to skip tipping, make sure that you also aren’t skipping the behind the scenes changes necessary for that business model. If you wanted to actually change things you would speak to management and workers and explain that you are trying to change the world and why. How is a waiter or management supposed to differentiate your noble intentions from those of a selfish prick, seeing as how the actions and effect are identical?

dghlsakjg 3y ago

You aren’t trying to change culture, you’re just being selfish. If the “custom” you are bringing back only benefits you at the expense of others, you need to rethink how you are “being the change”. Stiffing waiters is shitty behavior, especially when you know the expectation, and withhold expressing your intent to act contrary to custom to your own exclusive benefit. Ask for them to include service in the price they charge you so you can protest without it being at someone else’s expense. In countries where tipping isn’t the norm the service is built into the price, so if you are going to skip tipping, make sure that you also aren’t skipping the behind the scenes changes necessary for that business model. If you wanted to actually change things you would speak to management and workers and explain that you are trying to change the world and why. How is a waiter or management supposed to differentiate your noble intentions from those of a selfish prick, seeing as how the actions and effect are identical?