Food For Thought

You may have noticed that I didn't really talk about food in my LA post. Unless you count my cake conquest. The reason for this is that I didn't really have any decent meals there. Not to say that there isn't any great food in LA, I'm sure there is somewhere, I just didn't have any of it.

Running with the Mexican theme that dominated my food choices in San Diego, I thought I'd give that a go in LA. I went to a nearby Mexican joint and was greeted by their front-of-house staff member. I decided to sit outside as it was a nice day and provided the perfect opportunity to people watch. The place was pretty packed but there were plenty of waitresses around. I asked the greeter if I needed to order at the bar and he assured me that a waitress would be over soon.

Perhaps the term soon in America means a while as I waited for about 20 minutes. The funny thing was, I sat about two feet away from the greeter. He could obviously see that I wasn't being served yet did nothing about it. None of the waiting staff came outside so there was nobody to flag. In the end I had to walk in and get someone's attention.

The food was mediocre just like the customer service. You would think that the highlight of my meal was getting the bill so I could leave but it wasn't. I had to decide how much money to give as a tip.

In England**, tipping isn't compulsory. Despite people's preconceptions, not that many people tip at home. It's said that you should tip if you've received a great service or if someone has gone the extra mile for you. I believe, however, that regardless of the service that's received, people either tip or they don't. I also think it's a tradition passed down through a person's family. This is what I learnt whilst I waitressed before leaving England.

America on the other hand have it completely backwards. Tipping is essential and is a reprehensible act if not followed through. I understand the argument that the waiting staff get paid well below minimum wage and managers expect staff to make up wages with tips. I think this is more deplorable than not leaving a tip in the first place. But it extends to taxi drivers, hairdressers and even bartenders. 

Every guide book I read before I set off on my travels explained that you need to tip a bartender at least a dollar per round or drink to ensure that you get served again. That's not a tip my friend, that's a bribe.

Gone were the days where I could lean forward and give a flirty smile to ensure I get served before anyone else. Damn.

The growing list of occupations and situations where tipping is fundamental far outweighs the timid argument that it's needed to boost a person's wage. The varying levels of service received - from a waitress running ragged around a busy restaurant to someone handing a ready-made burger on a plastic tray - must surely ring alarm bells. I guess it's been drilled into people's minds so much that they don't even think about it now.

Let me be clear though, I don't completely disagree with tipping. Like I said, I've waitressed and I know how hard-going it is. I think it's deserving and whenever I feel I've had a good service or I get on with the waiter/ess, I always leave a tip, more so when it's a small or independent restaurant.

What I don't agree with is tipping for the sake of it, or worse, tipping even though my experience has been unpleasant (to put it politely). At first, I thought that because people's livelihoods rested on these tips, that people would work damn hard to ensure that they get those tips. Unfortunately reality sucks and that isn't the case. I know how I feel as an underpaid and under-appreciated worker and working hard is the last thing I feel like doing. Leaving a tip becomes a sense of entitlement to workers who scorn at those who don't abide by the rules. It's something that is rightfully theirs. It shouldn't be like this. The gesture of goodwill has gone. There is no selfless good deed and I'm not ashamed to admit that normally I feel good when I leave a tip as I know how it feels to get one. I like to know that it has been appreciated. It's a token - you've given a great service and I want you to know that. This concept is sadly lost in America.

So, bitterly, I left 10% of the bill total. I didn't like it, it wasn't deserved and I doubt it was appreciated.

** I wrote about my experiences in Tip Of The Iceberg Mate