Originally Posted by
tuapekastar
You make a good point. Whilst I definitely do not like the US-style tipping system, when I visit the US I adopt it, because that's the way it's done there.
I'm wondering how many Americans, when visiting a non-tipping culture, disrespect it by not being able resist the natural urge to tip (or try to tip), which may well be offensive to the person they're trying to tip. And how much that habit, over time, may change the culture there. Quite a few, I suspect.
I'm not really too concerned by it, just pointing out that it is a two-way street.
I confess -- last year, year, my husband and I were in Germany. One morning, after breakfast, he went to a business meeting, and took me back to our hotel room. The room had still not been made up, and I sat up on the bed, flipping channels on the TV. Eventually, the housekeepers showed up. In my broken German, I asked them to come in and make up the room. They answered in broken German themselves, being, as it turned out, from Hungary. We ended up chatting, to the best of all our linguistically challenged abilities, during the time they were cleaning and straightening up. When it came time for them to make up the bed, they helped me out and onto my wheelchair (which for some inexplicable reason, my husband had left on the other side of the room, and would have taken me a good five minutes to get to), which I greatly appreciated.
You bet your life I gave them each a few Euro for the kindness, patience, and generosity they showed me that day.