I usually whisper, “I’ll flip every table in this joint if you don’t take my card, including the one with that child at it”, and while it has a 100% success rate, I can’t help but feel terrible about it, later. What are some alternatives?
I usually whisper, “I’ll flip every table in this joint if you don’t take my card, including the one with that child at it”, and while it has a 100% success rate, I can’t help but feel terrible about it, later. What are some alternatives?
It’s a “poor waiter” because he is being forced to choose between two people who are both holding up their card trying to pay the bill.
Still doesn’t make sense to me.
Why would you not just get your own bill? Like unless you specifically invited your old friend to dinner, why would you pay for his meal? And if you did explicitly invite them, then it would have been clear who would pay.
Is it an America thing?
It’s a thing in America and also in many other cultures. People, often men, gain status by paying for others. Then when there’s two men they like to battle with each other over who’s paying.
It’s similar to that thing with gift giving where you have to offer and refuse three times before a gift can be successfully transferred.
Ok. But even with all that information, why is it then left up to the waiter to settle this? And wouldn’t it just be more effective to promise a good tip instead of threating them?
Because the waiter is the other side of the equation. He holds the power to choose.