Tipping is a social custom that is practised differently across nationalities. In the UAE, where people from 200 nationalities live together, tipping can be, well, confusing. What exactly is the custom?
With one of the most dominant tipping cultures anywhere, the best place to begin a discussion about the custom is in the United States. In fact, there is a lively debate unfolding before our eyes about the use (and uselessness) of tipping.
Restaurateur and Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer has been one of the most vocal advocates for abolishing tipping in America. He recently raised prices at his restaurants (including Shake Shack) to pay his staff a better wage without tips. To make his point, Mr Mayer raised the dark history of tipping in the US.
Contrary to popular belief, the concept of tipping didn’t originate in America. Rather, the roots are in feudal Europe, where aristocratic lords would give their servants extra money when they performed duties above and beyond expectations. When tipping was exported to the US in the 19th century, Americans were actually uncomfortable with the practice.
For a young democracy, many Americans believed it was the responsibility of employers, not customers, to pay their workers. However, business owners – especially in the restaurant business – fought to ingratiate a tipping culture in America for a dark reason. If the burden to pay employees shifted onto the customer, it meant that restaurants and other businesses didn’t have to pay recently freed slaves who were flooding into the workforce.
Over the decades, Europe eventually got rid of the tipping custom, but America entrenched it. In 1938, when the first minimum wage law took effect as part of the New Deal, there was a provision that employers didn’t have to pay a base salary for workers that met their minimum wage through tips.
Few Americans are familiar with the history of tipping in their country. Mr Mayer believes that if they understood how tipping allowed some employers not to pay their workers fair wages, then the culture would change.
Most of Europe has effectively dissolved the tipping burden through government protections that require minimum wages. In Scandinavian countries, where there are robust social safety nets, the costs of goods and services are high precisely to allow employers to pay their staff a living wage without the need of tips. This is also true for Australia.
Closer to home, there are measures that essentially bake the tip into the total cost of a good or service. If you have dinner at a hotel, for example, a service charge is included in the cost. This eliminates any requirement to pay a tip, but it doesn’t remove the personal decision to tip a server, a delivery person or a car attendant.
While Mayer’s attempts to banish tipping in America has raised the issue, it seems unlikely that we will see a world entirely free of tipping.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Champions League last 16, first leg
Tottenham v RB Leipzig, Wednesday, midnight (UAE)
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The five pillars of Islam
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: Dh898,000
On sale: now
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Crops that could be introduced to the UAE
1: Quinoa
2. Bathua
3. Amaranth
4. Pearl and finger millet
5. Sorghum
THE DETAILS
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Dir: Ron Howard
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson
3/5
The%20specs
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SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube
HOSTS
T20 WORLD CUP
2024: US and West Indies; 2026: India and Sri Lanka; 2028: Australia and New Zealand; 2030: England, Ireland and Scotland
ODI WORLD CUP
2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; 2031: India and
Bangladesh
CHAMPIONS TROPHY
2025: Pakistan; 2029: India
Previous men's records
- 2:01:39: Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) on 16/9/19 in Berlin
- 2:02:57: Dennis Kimetto (KEN) on 28/09/2014 in Berlin
- 2:03:23: Wilson Kipsang (KEN) on 29/09/2013 in Berlin
- 2:03:38: Patrick Makau (KEN) on 25/09/2011 in Berlin
- 2:03:59: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 28/09/2008 in Berlin
- 2:04:26: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 30/09/2007 in Berlin
- 2:04:55: Paul Tergat (KEN) on 28/09/2003 in Berlin
- 2:05:38: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 14/04/2002 in London
- 2:05:42: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 24/10/1999 in Chicago
- 2:06:05: Ronaldo da Costa (BRA) 20/09/1998 in Berlin
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
RESULT
Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2
Arsenal: Aubameyang (13')
Chelsea: Jorginho (83'), Abraham (87')
Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.
