Now Give Me Money, That's What I Want

I am no stranger to awkward moments. This recognition does little to alleviate the discomfort they bring on, however.

This evening, I went out to dinner at a very nicely furnished (I'm a huge fan of mahogany wood) Japanese restaurant. The food was excellent—I had cucumber rolls and vegetable tempura, for those who care/are wondering—and the service was average.

After paying our bill (or so we thought), we lingered at the table for a bit. Suddenly, our waitress reappeared with change. I informed her that we didn't need it; she not-so-kindly responded by saying that the money left amounted to just over a 10 percent tip, and that was just too low. Well. Color me flustered.

In hindsight, I believe we actually did leave a shorter tip than we intended to; this was likely a cause of tiredness. In our minds, the amount we enclosed with the check was about 18 percent, but we miscalculated. But it seems a little uncouth to call out patrons over what you deem an unsatisfactory tip. I rarely tip low, but it's certainly my prerogative to do so, should I think the service is below par.

This uncomfortable moment led to a discussion on tipping etiquette—specifically, whether people are supposed to tip pre- or post-tax.

I was taught that the proper way of calculating tip was to look at the subtotal and figure it out from that amount (Emily Post agrees, so I can't be too wrong), but most people with whom I dine look at the final total. I'm generally flexible, but people's differing methods on such a simple task is probably one of the main reasons bills can be so difficult to calculate when dining with large crowds.

From a practical standpoint, pre-tax makes the most sense—after all, why would one tip on a (state) government-imposed amount? Most people tend to eschew practicality in favor of ease, hence the reason (or so I imagine) that people just glance at the final total to calculate the meal's tip. Anyway.

I came home and conducted a little research, since I am impatient, and was curious to know the proper tipping method.

My various Google searches led me to this article, which details tipping etiquette in numerous countries. The article also delves a little deeper than restaurant tipping, addressing tipping etiquette on hotels, guides, drivers, and others, such as masseurs, luggage porters, and boatmen. It's a good thing about which to be aware if you're about to travel; the amount to tip in most countries differs greatly from that in America. Plus, awareness of international etiquette helps to reduce the possibility of looking like an ignoramus.

I don't anticipate traveling to any of these countries in my lifetime (due to a limited supply of time and money), but if I ever do, at least I have a little guidance that will help me steer clear of more awkward moments. Or so I hope.