The tipping taboo 给小费的禁忌
如何在餐馆或咖啡馆给小费是一个十分复杂的问题。小费应该是给现金还是在买单时一并用信用卡支付？你更愿意支付固定的服务费，还是认为付小费完全没有必要？ 本期讨论这个让很多人都感到困惑而棘手的问题。
It’s nice to go out for a meal at a restaurant. But what makes it extra special – apart from the food - is to receive attentive (体贴，周到的)service from the staff. What can leave a bad taste in your mouth(不愉快的经历或记忆), though, is to be handed the bill(账单) and see that a service charge(服务费) has been added. You’re faced with the dilemma of deciding to pay it, and whether you should add a tip(小费) on top.
Putting your hand in your pocket (捐钱（在本文中指 “给小费”）) to reward good service is a personal choice, but it also depends on where you are in the world. What is the norm (惯例，正常行为) in one city is not necessarily the norm in another. In some places a tip is expected; but in others, good service should be expected (应该的) and ought to be included in the price.
Adding an optional (非强制的，可选择的) service charge to your bill certainly makes paying a tip less awkward because there’s no need to calculate the amount. But even though it’s not compulsory (强制性的), you sometimes feel obliged (必须的) to pay it. In the UK, where people tend to be too polite to complain, they might pay the service charge despite quietly complaining that the service they received was not up to scratch (达到标准)!
Choosing your own amount to tip(给小费) may seem fairer, but should you pay it in cash or add it on to a credit card payment? And who will be the recipient (接受人)? If we are to pay extra, we want to know it goes to the person who deserves it and that it’s not used as an alternative to paying someone a proper wage (工钱，报酬). In the UK in 2009, the law was changed after an outcry over staff being paid under the minimum wage(最低工资) and then topping up their wages with money they had earned in tips.
However, in the US it’s still customary to leave a gratuity (小费，赏钱)because tips often make up a substantial part of a server(服务人员)’s income（收入）. Restaurant owner William Beckett told the BBC that in New York, for example, “There’s a tacit pressure（隐性压力） to tip. But theoretically you (could) just stand up and walk out. You don’t. Everybody tips 20%.”
Maybe we should follow Japan’s approach, where tipping under any circumstance may seem rude because good service is standard and expected. Elsewhere, there are calls for restaurants to replace the tipping system with a so-called 'hospitality-included'（服务费包括在内） charge – a single payment which covers both the meal and the service. This basically means, don’t tip - the price you see on the menu reflects the full cost of dining. That might make receiving the final bill easier to swallow!
如何在餐馆或咖啡馆给小费是一个十分复杂的问题。小费应该是给现金还是在买单时一并用信用卡支付？你更愿意支付固定的服务费，还是认为付小费完全没有必要？ 本期讨论这个让很多人都感到困惑而棘手的问题。
It’s nice to go out for a meal at a restaurant. But what makes it extra special – apart from the food - is to receive attentive (体贴，周到的)service from the staff. What can leave a bad taste in your mouth(不愉快的经历或记忆), though, is to be handed the bill(账单) and see that a service charge(服务费) has been added. You’re faced with the dilemma of deciding to pay it, and whether you should add a tip(小费) on top.
Putting your hand in your pocket (捐钱（在本文中指 “给小费”）) to reward good service is a personal choice, but it also depends on where you are in the world. What is the norm (惯例，正常行为) in one city is not necessarily the norm in another. In some places a tip is expected; but in others, good service should be expected (应该的) and ought to be included in the price.
Adding an optional (非强制的，可选择的) service charge to your bill certainly makes paying a tip less awkward because there’s no need to calculate the amount. But even though it’s not compulsory (强制性的), you sometimes feel obliged (必须的) to pay it. In the UK, where people tend to be too polite to complain, they might pay the service charge despite quietly complaining that the service they received was not up to scratch (达到标准)!
Choosing your own amount to tip(给小费) may seem fairer, but should you pay it in cash or add it on to a credit card payment? And who will be the recipient (接受人)? If we are to pay extra, we want to know it goes to the person who deserves it and that it’s not used as an alternative to paying someone a proper wage (工钱，报酬). In the UK in 2009, the law was changed after an outcry over staff being paid under the minimum wage(最低工资) and then topping up their wages with money they had earned in tips.
However, in the US it’s still customary to leave a gratuity (小费，赏钱)because tips often make up a substantial part of a server(服务人员)’s income（收入）. Restaurant owner William Beckett told the BBC that in New York, for example, “There’s a tacit pressure（隐性压力） to tip. But theoretically you (could) just stand up and walk out. You don’t. Everybody tips 20%.”
Maybe we should follow Japan’s approach, where tipping under any circumstance may seem rude because good service is standard and expected. Elsewhere, there are calls for restaurants to replace the tipping system with a so-called 'hospitality-included'（服务费包括在内） charge – a single payment which covers both the meal and the service. This basically means, don’t tip - the price you see on the menu reflects the full cost of dining. That might make receiving the final bill easier to swallow!
举一反三
- How much tip can you give the waiter or waitress after you meal in an American restaurant A: [A] Only 15% of your bill is all right. B: Generally speaking, about 15% of your bill is Ok, but sometimes you can leave the tip depending on the service given. C: Usually, ＄15 is enough.
- When you go out with your clients, it is a polite manner that you should pay the tip as they pay the bill.
- Which of the following statement is correct? A: You must pay tips in America. B: If you don’t pay tips, you will violate the law in America. C: It is the convention and courtesy to pay tips other than restriction. D: You can’t refuse to pay tips even if you are not satisfied with the service because it is the convention to pay tips.
- S: How much do you charge for the service? C: ___________________. （S: staff，C: customer） A: 10%. B: We don’t charge for the service. C: Certainly, sir. D: Yes, I do.
- Which of the following statement is right? A: It is the convention and courtesy to pay tips other than restriction. B: You must pay tips in America. C: You can’t refuse to pay tips even if you are not satisfied with the service because it is the convention to pay tips. D: ——