Posted by:
Ed (nine510)
(---.bstnma.east.verizon.net)
As far as thinking about the "French
> tipping structures": hey, welcome to learning
> about a different culture with customs that are
> just as valid as ours. Some people even try to
> learn a language other than English.
Well, actually, the tipping structure of a lot, if not practically all of the expensive french side restaurants aren't valid, at all. The difference between french side St. Martin's treatment of tipping and the traditional treatment of tipping in the french culture, is significant.
If your question is: how is it diffferent? Use the "search" feature, above, and search tipping; you'll get a ton of information on the subject.
St. Martin, (french side, not dutch side) has developed their own tipping method through a certain deliberate semantic confusion (to the benefit of themselves, and the extra cost to the customer) between the trems "tipping" and "service charge". This is the problem that was referred to, above.
If you knew little more about the "French Side", you'd realize that this is (the double tipping problem) common knowledge.
In these times, I think that we should welcome the
> opportunity to immerse ourselves in and learn more
> about other cultures. What is familiar is not
> always what is best.
>
> Gregg
Believe me, most everyone on SXM bulletin boards is acutely aware of this concept and way out ahead of this learning curve to which you refer.
If they don't care for a certain general attitude on the french side, it's not necessarily from a lack of scocial/cultural understanding, it can be from a feeling that there's a disagreeble attitude that's over and above what you're talking about; or they just don't care for the french manner, and there's no reason they should.
Ed