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October 15, 2008

Everything you ever wanted to know about tipping

Today for Shallow Thought Wednesday, Multimedia Editor Emeritus and Biker Dude John Lindner isn't messing around. He's even referring to himself in the third person. The video is great; I feel sorry for all of you whose work blocks it. Obviously you need to get another job. EL

This from George Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London* (whereby jl ends, forever more, all quibbling regarding tipping practices): ...

 

"The moral is, never be sorry for a waiter. Sometimes when you sit in a restaurant, still stuffing yourself half an hour after closing time, you feel that the tired waiter at your side must surely be despising you. But he is not. He is not thinking as he looks at you, "What an over-fed lout"; he is thinking, "One day, when I have saved enough money, I shall be able to imitate that man." He is ministering to a kind of pleasure he thoroughly understands and admires. And that is why waiters are seldom Socialists, have no effective trade union, and will work twelve hours a day – they work fifteen hours, seven days a week, in many cafes. They are snobs, and they find the servile nature of their work rather congenial."

*(Harcourt, pg. 77)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:44 AM | | Comments (11)
Categories: Shallow Thought Wednesdays, Tipping
        

Comments

I feel sorry for all of you whose work blocks it.

Not being able to see the videos at work means that I watch them when I get home in the evening, thus turning Shallow Thought Wednesday into a day-long event.

(Glass half-full...)

I never thought of it that way but indeed I have a brother who is a career waiter and he is definitely a terrible snob.

Bucky, do you have to send yourself an email, reminding you what you were going to watch?

my friend, Eve wrote: Bucky, do you have to send yourself an email, reminding you what you were going to watch?

I'm not sure how to take that question. (LOL, inferred. Implied. Whatever.)

I send myself e-mails to remind myself to do or watch stuff all the time.

Many times I've sent email to myself from work so I'll remember something when I'm home.

I hate when I have no clue what I'm s'posed to remember. I'll be relieved when the mind is completely gone because this fragmentation is just an annoyance.

OK, I get it.

I don't send emails, I call myself and leave phone messages.

(Mrs. Bucky does that, too, and that's how I found out I'm married to the most polite person on earth. Once day I checked our messages and there was one from her that said, "Remember to tell Bucky about dinner at Smiths on Saturday night. Thanks!")

Yes, she did. She left herself a phone message, then said thanks to herself for listening to it.

One should never worry about one's mind going because you won't notice it.

JL - delightful video. Ya gotta love YouTube.

Btw - Do you require an Executive Assistant? I can send you my resume and an incredibly irresistable cover letter!

Piano,
I require all manner of assistance. However lawyers, psychoanalysts, mechanics and plumbers are all out of my price range. How much do executive assistants charge? Maybe we could work out a barter system. How are brakes on your car?
BTW: I send myself emails to remind me to do things. Then when I get home, I open up the fridge where inside is a Post It note that reminds me to check my email. It's a good system that only fails when I'm not hungry.

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About Elizabeth Large
Elizabeth Large, The Baltimore Sun's restaurant critic, blogs about memorable meals, dining trends, comings and goings on the restaurant scene and more.
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