Greetings Breeps!
Our ever-growing Facebook page has been humming this week with questions on subjects as diverse as pet insurance, tax time and etiquette of tipping in LA.
I’ll tackle the last one first having some experience having been in the service area quite a number of times ‘in-between’ acting jobs. Why do we tip certain professions and not others? Why are we having to subsidize the tight proprietors who don’t pay their staff properly? Why do I tip my gardner only at Christmas? Why do I tip a cabbie but not a bus driver? And why do I tip at Starbucks, when I don’t tip at the supermarket? Why do I tip a percentage when the server does takes the same amount of time serving one person as he/she does ten people? The long and short of it is, I don’t honestly know. However on further research it seems it was all our fault. In the days of Geoffrey Chaucer and Middle English, “to tip” meant simply “to give” as in “tip me that cheate” (“give me that thing”), immortal words penned by one Samuel Rowlands in his 1610 Beadle of Bridewell.
The most charming explanation refers us back to the days of Dr. Johnson and his eighteenth century circle of wits. Upon entering his local coffee shop for a session of epigram-flinging, Dr. Johnson would drop a few pence in a box labeled “To Insure Promptness” (“T.I.P.”–get it?) in order to encourage a greater display of vigor on the part of the generally listless attendants.
Tipping spread from England to colonial America, but after the revolution it was frowned upon (temporarily) as a hangover from the British class system. One only tipped one’s social inferiors, which, lest we forget, did not exist in the brave new world. Unfortunately, the working classes eventually got around to swallowing their pride and tipping returned with all the fervor it possesses today. Even former Communist countries have not entirely succeeded in eliminating the practice. These days, of course, taxi drivers and waitpersons depend on tips for a substantial part of their income. If you didn’t tip, presumably they’d expect to be paid more, and your restaurant bills and taxi fares would consequently be higher. The fifteen percent standard is mostly a question of what the market will bear. In New York, the figure these days is twenty percent; European restaurants generally add a ten percent gratuity to the bill.
Personally having been on both sides – I loved receiving tips and was always most grateful, and now like to give tips too, if only they are gratefully received. More often than not tips are left as one leaves, so said server never really knows how much they are getting until after the job. I remember one time, working in Balans in London and I chased one customer, that I believed I had given excellent service to, down the street and rightfully gave him back the 10p that he had left for me, defiantly telling him that he must need this much more than I do. And back then in 1993 earning a pound an hour, I actually did need his tip in order to help pay for my two bedroomed flat just off Tottenham Court Road. We actually survived very well on our tips and the kindness of strangers. Perhaps we ought to change the order and start tipping in advance, that way you get the type of service you pay for. I found a very useful tipping chart (above) at www.waitbutwhy.com which should help all us expats negotiate this particular minefield.
Furry friends
Remember a dog isn’t just for Christmas, it’s for life….Pet insurance can be as expensive as human insurance and that shocks a lot of people when their canine companions first arrive. Vets can earn just as much as doctors. You can get pet insurance for as little as $20 a month, but depending on the age of your dog and breed can go up to about $200 a month, so make sure you can afford to have a pet in LA first, as without insurance if your dog eats a grape or chocolate or gets hit by a vehicle, your bill can run up into the thousands. There are several good options to look into that our members have recommended, specifically petinsurancereview.com or trupanion.com
And if you’re still in the market for a dog, you should know that my Brits in LA partner Eileen has started a pet of the week, that we will feature in our newsletter, a little chap that needs adoption or fostering. For more details visit www.britsin.la
We also have a new contributor to the group – Catherine Siggins our theatre reviewer who has been quite busy already reviewing three British-themed productions, Bristol Old Vic and Handspring puppets production of “Midsummer’s night’s Dream” (see page 7) and Noel Coward’s “A Song at Twilight”, catch that review next week.
It’s been busy week for me, opening this weekend in “The Vortex” at Malibu Playhouse and filming the new TV series Hit the Floor for VH1, and of course preparing for the dreaded tax deadline of April 15th. Stay calm and TAX on, Breeps!
Have a great week and hope to see you at one of our many events.
Cheers!
Craig
