This has been bothering me for a while now. In the US, when ordering
an expensive bottle of wine, do you include that in your usual 15-20 %
tip? I've had people tell me they do and they don't.
I can understand if you order a $50.00 bottle, it's not a big deal,
but if you spend more than, say, $ 150.00 or so, should you really
have to give the waiter that extra 30 bucks? What about a 400 dollar
bottle? Does the waiter really expect an 80 dollar cut? Or is it
acceptable just to tip on the food? Anyone?


Those unwritten rules are just a source of troubles! I'd say if you want to
give a tip don't look at the value of your account, but ask yourself: "how
do I value the service and the kindness of this particular waiter?"

Why don't people just get the fair value for their work as a salary? It
would be much easier, clear, and fair for everyone.

I've always seen tipping as either a type of charity (from the customer to
the employee) or as exploitation (both of the employee by the boss, or of
the customer by the employee).


As a curiosity:
In Portugal we had in the seventies a revolution that took us from a right
wing dictature, almost to a left wing one (thank God we stood in between)
On those days (just after revolution) in some cafes you could find a poster
saying "Tips are a capitalistic insult to the employee"

regards
ricardo

www.portugalregional.pt