Originally Posted by
mpkz
How oblivious about local culture do you need to be to end up tipping someone working in an airport lounge in the Middle East? I thought it was obvious that you don't, I guess it isn't for all people.
I guess it's difficult if you haven't spent much time in the region. There's a very clear idea of spreading your good fortune around, quite apart from, but perhaps coloured by, zakat, the giving of alms with is a principal Quranic obligation.
The spreading can be
very thin, perhaps odd bits of change for lavatory attendants if you'e so minded; notes where there is real service elsewhere (or maybe special assistance of some kind...).
Inevitably $5 tips for nothing at all have something of a corrupting influence, raising expectations of foreigners' largesse, encouraging behaviour aims to trigger it. Perhaps blame this for over attentive helpers, rather than the attendants bthemselves: they're slaves to human nature
