You’re Not Supposed to Talk About
Tipping
I never understood why the French didn’t read a guidebook
before coming here so that they could find out about
tipping. They didn’t tip.
Some of my co-workers said they were only pretending not to
know about our tipping custom, but I thought that was a
cynical viewpoint. It was a big debate at the restaurant
and it came up every time we got French people. They always
looked good when they sat down, well dressed,
sophisticated, ready for a good time, but then they opened
their mouths and their waitresses’ heart sank. “They’re
French!” She would report mournfully to the other
waitresses back in the kitchen.
Technicians were among the worst tippers, right up there
with senior citizens. I hate to say this but teachers are
terrible tippers, too. You got a table of teachers and
forget it, they’d leave you 10 percent at most. It was as
if they were trying to do their part in proving the point
that without a good education, you can’t expect to make a
decent living.