礼节美语 254 Tipping 2

Lily跟同事Kyle和Jerry在聊西方给小费的文化，Jerry是从中国来的，觉得美国给小费的习俗很不方便。Lily说，

Lily: I can see how the custom might make visitors uncomfortable. I've heard stories about restaurant staff getting angry at tourists. Some Americans might not realize that tipping is not a custom in many places around the world.

Kyle: In Japan some people get offended if you offer them a tip. Tipping is not a part of their culture at all. They feel quality service is their duty.

L: Every culture looks at this issue very differently.

Jerry: Yeah...back in China tipping goes the other way around! Restaurant owners will often give free drinks or food to customers as a reward for loyalty. So, what happens in Canada or the U.S. if the service is really awful? Can you skip the tip?

在小费方面的文化差异，有时还会引起纠纷，如果外国游客不给小费，有些不明就理的餐馆服务员就可能感到气不过。与此同时，在日本，给别人小费，则会让人觉得这是一种侮辱，而在中国，Tipping goes the other way around! 不是顾客给服务员小费，往往是餐馆给那些老顾客一些好处，让他们经常来照顾生意。Jerry问，那如果服务特别差，是不是就不用给小费了呢？Kyle回答说，
 
K: Um..not really. I know some people might reduce the amount as a way of demonstrating they were unhappy. But you pretty much always have to leave a tip.

L: In Canada, we don't tip as much as they do in the U.S. - ten or 15% is fine.

J: But in the states they expect 20%.

K: Yeah that's true. Back in the 1980s it was also about 10 or 15%, but everything has gotten more expensive.

J: Do you really think tipping inspires better service?

Kyle说，给小费已经是约定俗成的了，即使服务差，多少也要留一些，美国的小费高一些，多达消费总额的20%，而加拿大稍微少点，10%到15%就够了。给小费的做法真能刺激服务员，提供更加周到的服务吗？Lily觉得：

L: Even though I'm not such a big fan of the practice...actually, I think it does.

K: Yeah, I would have to agree. The staff knows that there is the potential for getting a nice tip if they treat the customers right.

L: The staff will often be more attentive, and will make sure they get all the little details of your order right, because sometimes a generous person might leave them a sizable gratuity.

J: I guess - just like everything - tipping has its pros and cons.

Lily说，虽然 I'm not a big fan of the practice....虽然我不是特别认同给小费，be a big fan of something 是热衷，支持某事的意思，这里所说的 the practice 指的就是给小费的习俗，但是她觉得服务员确实会为了多拿小费而提供更周到的服务，对顾客更加 attentive 无微不至，如果碰上个大方的顾客，就可能拿到 a sizable gratuity 一笔数目可观的小费，gratuity is spelled g-r-a-t-u-i-t-y, gratuity也是小费的意思。