I’m back home!
I’ll be here for the next few weeks.
I’m visiting friends and family.
And it’s good to be back!
But can you ever go home?
And what is home?
Interesting philosophical questions….
We were talking about this topic in Vig Village on Saturday night.
That’s another reason Vig Village is the best place to practice speaking: we’re real.
We’re real people and we talk about real subjects.
Sure, we talk about the weather form time to time, but the best conversations are about real topics: life, family, fears and dreams.
With a lot of fun and joking mixed in.
Summer Special
And the summer is the best time to join Vig Village.
Sumer is usually slow, so to motivate you to try us now, I created The Summer Special:
Try Vig Village for €10 for 10 days.
Go here to learn more: https://store.mrvig.com/vv-summer-special
Tipping In America
Last month I was in Bulgaria.
On my first night, I had dinner in the hotel restaurant.
Me when the bill came: “Can I leave a tip?”
Waitress: “No.”
Here in the U.S., things are a little different.
For example…
Last night, my dad and I went to Outback Steakhouse (it’s a popular chain with an Australian theme).
When it came time to pay, the choices on the electronic display were: 18% 20% 25%
What happened to 15%?
For most of my life, the standard was 15%
Sadly, those days are over.
I call this, “tip inflation.”
And it gets worse…
On Friday night, my dad, my sister and my niece went to a Cajun restaurant.
This time, the bill said, “For your convenience, we have automatically added an 18% gratuity to your bill.”
What happened to “no tip”?
For most of my life, a tip was optional; you gave it only if the service was good.
Now, you feel guilty if you don’t leave a big tip!
I call this, “tip guilt.”
Where is this going?
Sadly, for many waiters and waitresses, their big tips will soon go to 0%.
Because robots don’t need tips.
The lesson: Be careful what you ask for.
Now we live in different time.
Hello, you calld right situation about tip – “tip inflation”. In my opinion option “no tip” still must be. Because tipping is sign gues of satisfaction, for quality food, for service of waitres… It shoud not be automaticlly. It is nonsence. Inflation is everywhere, even there when dont affect gas or energy. Exactly, where is this all going ?!
Hi! Yes, home – the most beautiful word and the feeling of home is the best feeling. It´s so good to read you say good to be back there. Enjoy this time with friends and loved ones! I would appreciate it if you could take the time to share your home-Virginia with us.
Tip inflation, tip guilt…it´s that simple, unfortunately it´s not up to us.
Fortunately, here in Portugal you’re not obliged to leave a tip. You do so when the service is good, and you want to leave a certain amount as a tip.
Couldn’t a raise of the minimum wage help to bring that topic back into a better balance? Which means that this is actually a structural and political issue. We ‘tourists’ can only take it or leave it which means not traveling the country. By the way, in NYC tips are meanwhile even requested at places like Deli’s or take away shops where the entire service mostly consists of no more but handing over something. As for the second topic ‘ Home’ (‘Heimat’ in German language), I am just pretty close to the subject as I am assisting the production of a play which deals with being abandoned from ‘home’ and to be forced to build up a new life at a different place. One of the main questions – will the original home somehow stay in your genes, and for how long means for how many generations.
I found out more interesting things on the current VIT V.I don’t know…I didn’t have a good opinion about the tip as extra money to pay something. I ‘m thinking all things may be payed only as they value not too much because can loose.control and the implications are very wrong and various.
On the other side many people, even good people use this method to control others by making feel guilty about something and it’s manipulation! Also feel guilt and.give money it’s disgusting. Unfortunately, youg girls used to be controlled in this way in the organised crime and if they have no money they must pay by “body services As you say not good at all
“My home is my castle”. From my perspective, this expression says it all.
The tip is accepted in restaurants as an obligation.
In our country, we usually tip the waiter when we are satisfied with the service. Very rarely, a certain percentage of the tip is included in the end.
Who is this extra money actually for? the owner, the waiter, or for restaurant maintenance
Hi,
I agree it ´s absolutely insane. Same thing happened to me in London at Nobu.
Although the restaurant is overrated ( the food is nothing special but overpriced ) you don’t even get to choose your tip, they automatically add ( for your convenience 🙂 ) 10% to the bill.
Where is this going ?
To a sort of loss of freedom ?
In Austria is giving a tip an optional thing.
In restaurants I normally leave a tip of 10%.