In unrelated news. Ribs have been in the oven for a couple of hours slow baking for later tonight when I put them on the grill. Mrs. picked up a pound of shrimp from Krogers (on sale--great price). I have a recipe I use to grill them that cannot be replicated in a restaurant. Portabellos and asparagus will be prepared as well. Hopefully the Mrs. will appreciate the effort and tip me well later this evening. :sssh:

My wife and I rarely eat out anymore. Shoot, it's been a good 3-4 months since we last did I'd venture. When we did, it wasn't because we wanted to be waited on or served, it wasn't because we felt superior to anyone else, it was because we were in the mood for certain foods that we can't replicate at home and wanted a night off from cooking ourselves.

 

I'm in pretty big disbelief at the direction this thread has been hijacked to.

 

Also cleaning up dishes kinda sucks. :idunno:

Are you not being "tended to" by those who have to cook the food you eat when you order carry out? What about the maids that make up the rooms you sleep in during your infrequent hotel stays? Or do you change those linens yourself before you leave?

 

Most certainly, and then you must pay for the food that you order.

 

My questioning is more related to the formality of having someone serve you at a table, waiting on you hand and foot.

 

What are the reasons and origins of this type of social convention, and the tipping that goes along with it?

 

Why is it that restaurant owners just don't pay a decent wage to their employees and the tipping policy done away with like it is done in other countries?

 

I'm Mr. Tidy in my hotel room, and it's a guarantee that I'm also a joy to the cleaning staff who has to do so very little, such as simply giving me fresh towels daily, because believe it or not because I always make my bed upon waking at home, I do exactly that upon waking at my hotel room.

 

I don't want personal belongings to be lost in the sheets, and a made bed ensures both this, and that I'm not looking at an eyesore while I'm getting ready for wherever I'm headed.

 

I certainly appreciate for health reasons, and because I am paying to sleep there, that I find fresh sheets upon arrival to my room, and I'm sure that the next customer in that room will also be appreciative that they get the same after I check out. I certainly don't need them changed daily. I don't change mine at home daily, I wouldn't need it either if staying in a hotel room for a few days.

 

Now it's certainly true that I could live my entire existence never eating out or paying for services, and doing everything completely for myself, and there's no doubt that I don't, and I take advantage of restaurants when I don't particularly feel like preparing a meal myself, or when I'm out and I've become hungry.

 

...And if I happen to be out of town for whatever reason, I'll need a place to sleep and shower to avoid sleeping in my car and bathing in a lake, and if so hotels certainly aren't shy about charging handsome prices for such availability.

 

I'm not suggesting that the hotel and restaurant industry close, and that people don't have the convenience of them available. I'm really not suggesting anything at all and merely asking why people choose to put themselves in situations where they are being tended to, and especially when it's something that could very easily just be done themselves.

Why are you turning this into a race thread? I knew this is where you were headed.

 

I promise you that until this post here that you are responding to, I hadn't even thought of it, and I assure you that you are completely wrong with thinking that this is where I was purposely headed, as I was most certainly not, and even with the post you are referring to, while it is race related, it was not all all meant to turn the entire topic in that direction, yet only to magnify the origins of serviced dining as food for thought, if you will.

 

Think all you want that my intentions were ill, but what I am truly aiming to do is make people think.

 

Was I at all successful with you regarding this?

I promise you that until this post here that you are responding to, I hadn't even thought of it, and I assure you that you are completely wrong with thinking that this is where I was purposely headed, as I was most certainly not, and even with the post you are referring to, while it is race related, it was not all all meant to turn the entire topic in that direction, yet only to magnify the origins of serviced dining as food for thought, if you will.

 

Think all you want that my intentions were ill, but what I am truly aiming to do is make people think.

 

Was I at all successful with you regarding this?

 

Yeah it made me think some things alright.... but no I have never thought where the origin of serving came from because I do not care. Different times my man.

Yeah it made me think some things alright.... but no I have never thought where the origin of serving came from because I do not care. Different times my man.

 

Thank you for your contribution to the discussion because my initial intent for asking was to hear others' input and answers regarding it.

I think we have reached an ending point.

 

If it matters to anyone, I have really tried to be an awesome tipper when I go out. I will normally tip 15 to 20% for bad service and the sky the is the limit for good service or difficult circumstances for the Server.

 

The other night I tipped about 70% at Waffle House. Additionally, I spoke to the Manager and Assistant Manager outside on their smoke break about teamwork.