禮節美語BE-254 Tipping II

Lily跟同事Kyle和Jerry在聊西方給小費的文化，Jerry是從中國來的，覺得美國給小費的習俗很不方便。Lily說，

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?

在小費方面的文化差異，有時還會引起糾紛，如果外國游客不給小費，有些不明就理的餐館服務員就可能感到氣不過。與此同時，在日本，給別人小費，則會讓人覺得這是一種侮辱，而在中國，Tipping goes the other way around! 不是顧客給服務員小費，往往是餐館給那些老顧客一些好處，讓他們經常來照顧生意。Jerry問，那如果服務特別差，是不是就不用給小費了呢？Kyle回答說，
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說，給小費已經是約定俗成的了，即使服務差，多少也要留一些，美國的小費高一些，多達消費總額的20%，而加拿大稍微少點，10%到15%就夠了。給小費的做法真能刺激服務員，提供更加周到的服務嗎？Lily覺得：

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.

MC: Lily說，雖然 I'm not a big fan of the practice...雖然我不是特別認同給小費，be a big fan of something 是熱衷，支持某事的意思，這里所說的 the practice 指的就是給小費的習俗，但是她覺得服務員確實會為了多拿小費而提供更周到的服務，對顧客更加 attentive 無微不至，如果碰上個大方的顧客，就可能拿到 a sizable gratuity 一筆數目可觀的小費，gratuity is spelled g-r-a-t-u-i-t-y, gratuity也是小費的意思。

B: So 楊琳，you are still cooking me authentic Chinese food this weekend, right?

A: Well...that might happen, depending on how much tip I'm getting!

B: Ha! What? You are really a fast learner, ha? (笑)

A: Of course! 好啦同學們，這次節目時間就到這里。 如果你有什么建議，或者想提什么問題，請發電子郵件到meiyu@voanews.com.

B: Tune in next time for American English Mosaic!

A: See you next time!