Nothing, save drinking the water in Tijuana, causes travelers more anxiety than the vagaries of tipping. I have sat across dining tables with some of the best-traveled, most sophisticated people in the world who start to tremble when they have to write in a gratuity on the bill. I’ve seen CEOs who barely shrug when faced with a Senate sub-committee investigation in the afternoon go to pieces contemplating the tip at dinner that evening.
        I admit, tipping is a tough business.  And a completely stupid one, defended on the one hand by those who choose not to pay a decent wage to their employees, and on the other by those same employees who both need the money and who love the feel of cash in their pocket. (For the record, I have waited tables and loved the cash, too.) But why do we tip waiters, porters and valet parkers but not flight attendants, salespeople at a shoe store, check-out workers at a supermarket, or mechanics at a full service gas stations—none of whom makes much more than minimum wage? There seems no rhyme or reason to it, except entrenched tradition. ( By the way, the word “tip” is not an abbreviation for “to insure promptness.”  “Gratuity” precedes “tip” in print by two hundred years, around 1540.)
       The rules have been changing.  It used to be in the U.S. that you didn’t tip a full 15% on beverages, now it’s expected.  The question is, if you can afford to spend $500 on a bottle of wine, would you balk at a $50-$60 tip on that bottle?  Most of us don’t drink that high, so the tip on the bill is somewhat easier to swallow.    
        For the most part, we have only ourselves to blame, because American tourists, goaded by naiveté and misguided travel writers, tend to tip everyone within fifty yards of a hotel, restaurant or car park—even when the service is included.   I have also noticed that American travel magazines give wholly erroneous information about local customs, recommending everyone on a service staff, from door man to chamber maid, from concierge to waiter, should be tipped and tipped lavishly. It simply ain’t the case.
    Let me try to help by giving some reasonable guidelines that still make sense around the world.

UNITED STATES

Restaurants
        For good service 15% is still the norm around the country, for superior service, 20%, but the latter has increasingly been recommended by big city spenders, and some guilt-ridden customers go to 25% or 30%. Good for them, but then, why not 50%? Will you get love in return? If that’s what you crave, flash that cash!
        The late New York plumbing executive John Gotti used to ensure extra special suck-up service by doubling the amount of the bill for a tip at restaurants—always obtaining the best table with his back to the wall.  It was a sad day for New York waiters when the Feds sent the Dapper Don to the slammer, where his meals were provided through a slot in his cell door—service included.
        There’s no question that the waiter in a low-priced restaurant deserves more consideration when the bill only comes to $22, but in high-end restaurants, which include steakhouses all around the country, a waiter can easily make $60,000 to $90,000 a year in salary and tips; on an average night at a bar where the drinks cost $20 a bartender can pocket $300-$500 easily.
         In the U.S. the wine steward is tipped—preferably in cash—only if he has performed exceptional services, like choosing several wines for a multi-course meal or decanting old vintages; then, you may want to tip him $5-$20 in cash. 
       The maître d’ is tipped upon leaving only if he provided a special service like getting you a specific table you requested, arranged for a birthday cake, or notified you that your ex-wife or current husband is in the dining room. Never, ever grease his palm upon entering, which will mark you as a patsy. It is rare these days, but some restaurants, like Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami Beach, are notorious for maître d’s who expect a twenty or fifty-dollar bill just to get you a table at all in high season.
       The coat check has for decades been getting a dollar per item, so it may be time to make five dollars a minimum. As for parking valets—otherwise known as holdup men—tip whatever you think is enough to get your car quickly and back in one piece. In Los Angeles, the valet companies exact a charge, on top of which many of my Los Angeleno friends always tip extravagantly, fearful that the valet might in the future scratch their cars if they don’t.
        By the way, European visitors are known not just for their stinginess with tips but their feigned ignorance that one should do so at all, despite every foreign tourist having read a guide book that says otherwise.
 

Hotels

        Once again, Americans tip everyone in sight. Here are some guidelines, depending on the prices in the hotel. Doormen are tipped if they help unload your luggage, although the porters bristle when they do that, because they do expect a tip. Notice how the porters never bring your luggage to your room as you check in but only bring it up after you’re in your room, thereby assuring you tip them when they knock on your door. One way or another, a dollar or two per bag is normal in most places.
   
    Room service is the biggest gouge hotels can charge (even though they say room service makes no profit). Every room service bill contains a service charge, which is never less than 15% and sometimes above 20%, so an extra tip is not required, especially since the room service waiter did nothing but roll a cart into your room and take the lids off the food.
         It is traditional in the U.S. to tip the chambermaid, and I think that generosity is the way to go in this case. Five dollars a day is a good tip, if the service throughout your stay has been what you expect. Coming back to an un-made-up room after 3 p.m. is not my idea of good service.

 EUROPE

        Generally speaking, tipping is wholly unnecessary in most European countries, where “service included,” “servizio incluso” or “service compris” appears on checks, along with a VAT charge that may be 15% to 25% depending on the country.  Restaurants, however, have gotten a break in recent years, so the VAT in Belgium is now 6% (except for alcohol); Finland 14%; France 10%; Germany and Hungary, 5%; Ireland is 13.5%; up until last week, Italy had no VAT on restaurant purchases but may go to a 10% VAT. For rates, go to: https://www.avalara.com/vatlive/en/vat-rates/european-vat-rates.html.
         Nevertheless, Americans feel squeamish in Europe not leaving a tip on top of the service charge (and some tip on top of the VAT, too!). I have asked my friends in France, Italy, Spain and elsewhere about tipping in restaurants again and again, and no one says it’s necessary. If they felt a staff member was particularly outstanding, a tip in cash of five or ten euros might be proffered; otherwise, no.
        What, then, is the French pour boire? It is the tradition of leaving excess change or a couple of euros on the table or rounding off the bill. (The term actually translates as “for a drink,” so that the server can have himself one.)   The same is true in most other European countries.
        Taxi drivers do not expect a tip in Europe, though rounding off a charge of, say, 9.50 euros to 10 euros is a nice gesture.
        At hotels, there is a tendency to tip porters, but a euro or two is sufficient. Concierges can work miracles upon request and should be tipped upon leaving with an envelope of cash; getting you a restaurant reservation is not a miracle; getting you into a three-star restaurant on short notice is.

 

GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND

        Things are different in the UK and Ireland. The rules have in the past been closer to American tipping ritual, though the gratuities are lower, between 10% and 15% for restaurant service. On recent trips to London I have found more and more restaurants adding a discretionary service charge of about 12.5%, so check your bill carefully and tip accordingly if you must.
        Tipping used to be discouraged in British pubs until recently; some even had signs reading “NO TIPPING,” but now some publicans encourage it.  Look around and see what the Brits are doing. Neither do you tip on pub food.
        I read on one travel website that, “If the doorman hails you a cab, a tip of 1 to 5 pounds is appropriate, depending on how luxurious the hotel is.” It would have to be a pretty damn luxurious hotel to tip a guy who hails your taxi five pounds ($6.50).
        Housekeepers do not expect a tip (unless you’re an American), but it is cordial to do so, perhaps a few pounds when you leave.
        Taxi drivers are fine with a rounded-up fare.

 

FAR EAST

    The differences from country to country make general statements impossible and specific guidelines too lengthy for inclusion here. Ask at the local tourist office what customs suggest.  In Istanbul there is always a 10% service charge on restaurant bills, with a 10% gratuity customary. Until recently in Israel no one expected a tip, but it’s now customary to leave 10% at a restaurant.
        In Hong Kong a 10% tip used to be the norm at a modest restaurant, while upscale dining rooms usually added 10% to the bill.  Now that Communist policy governs such things, tipping is officially discouraged as capitalist bribery.  But few Chinese these days will refuse a tip (or fear jail time for such an offense); nevertheless, be careful about throwing around cash.  Some modern restaurants now tack on a 15% service charge.   
        Singapore also frowns upon tipping, despite the fact that the 10% service charge doesn’t always go the waitstaff. This is also true in Bangkok, where gratuities are not expected at hotels or restaurants.   
        In Japan, where a 10% service charge is usually on the hotel and restaurant bills, tipping is truly considered bad form and an embarrassment, so keep your hands in your pockets!

AUSTRALIA   

        Civilized country that it is, Australia does not exact a service charge, and until recently tipping was not the norm. Sad to say, it is becoming so, so you might want to leave 5%-10%. on a restaurant bill.

NEW YORK CORNER
By John Mariani

LOVE AND PIZZA

Chapter Thirty-Three

© John Mariani, 2020

NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR

    Because of a variety of coronavirus restrictions, it is anticipated that most Thanksgiving dinner gatherings, whether at home, at a relative’s house or restaurant, will be far more limited in size this year. However, it is expected that the traditional turkey and trimmings of stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and the like will still be the fare of choice. And, while some pundits proclaim that any wine you like will do, I have found that the many flavors of the food, especially the sweeter dishes, pose a bit of a challenge. Especially wines from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape, which I find mate poorly with such a meal. Also, I find that bland whites lack the oomph to marry well with the robust flavors of turkey gravy and even mildly seasoned stuffing.

    And many wines made of Chardonnay grapes, especially those that are very oaky, overwhelm the taste of turkey, especially white meat, and leave a jarring taste when mated with cranberry sauce. So, with this, as well as sensible pricing and wide availability in mind, I offer the following suggestions as wines to drink for Thanksgiving.
 

WHITES

2019 Silleni Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc ($14)—Showing a bouquet and taste of tropical fruit, gooseberries and fresh lemons, this wine from New Zealand is named for the ancient Greek god Dionysus’s companions, whose mission was to encourage enjoyment of delicious food and wine. Its fresh taste livens the flavor of most food, even the blandest stuffing or unadorned vegetables.

2019 Rhangleigh Chenin Blanc ($14)—Hailing from the Western Cape area of South Africa and named after the winner of the 1914 prestigious Durban July Handicap race, this wine shows a fragrant bouquet and taste of ripe pears and melons with notes of honey and a citrusy finish. While it does not mate that well with the likes of stuffing, sweet yams and cranberry sauce, it makes an excellent wine to serve with hors d’oeuvres like smoked salmon, bruschetta and toast coated with olive tapenade or humus.

2018 Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay ($37)—From winemaker Mark Beringe (great-great-grandson of winery founder Jacob Beringer) comes this elegant wine with a bouquet and taste of baked apples and hints of pineapple and just enough oak and citrus to marry harmoniously with turkey and the “fixings.”

2018 Bricco dei Guazi Gavi  ($16)—Fashioned from estate-grown Cortese grapes from a hillside vineyard in Italy’s northwestern Piedmont region, this wine is a cut above most Gavis. Showing a floral bouquet and memorable taste of apples and pears, with notes of ripe melons, citrus and almonds in its finish. It’s ideal to enjoy from appetizers through main course Thanksgiving fare.

 

REDS

Zinfandels and domestic Pinot Noirs are our go-to reds for Thanksgiving, especially the uniquely American Zinfandels for this uniquely American holiday. Some of our favorites that match the fare quite well are below.

2018 Turley Juvenile Zinfandel ($30)—Fashioned from grapes harvested from relatively young vines (6-15 years old) on a number of vineyards across California, this is the lightest of the four Zins recommended. It shows a fragrant bouquet and well-integrated taste of fresh raspberries and ripe cherries, with hints of herbs in its lively finish.

2018 Cline Cellars Old Vine Zinfandel ($10)—Made from grapes grown in Lodi, California, on three separate vineyards, with some vines over 75 years old, this bottle’s a great bargain, but to fully show its bouquet and flavor of ripe plums, strawberries and cherries with notes of vanilla it requires decanting about an hour or two before its service.

2017 Rombauer Zinfandel ($35)—This wine was made from grapes grown on a number of California vineyards using sustainable practices. It has a distinctive bouquet and taste of ripe blackberries and boysenberries with notes of figs and dark chocolate in its long, lingering finish.

2017 Martinelli Zinfandel “Vignato di’Evo” (40)—This is a full-bodied wine with a bouquet and taste of ripe plums, cherries and cedar wood, with hints of Asian spice in its big, bold finish. It may be too full-bodied for some but mates well with both spicy and sweet fare. 

2017 Primarius Pinot Noir ($15)—With grapes from an Oregon vineyard featuring a cool climate but long sunny days, this light-bodied wine shows a bouquet and dry taste of cranberries, plums and cherries, with a long smooth finish. 

2018 Line 39 Pinot Noir ($10)—Light and elegant with a taste and bouquet of raspberries, strawberries and cherries and notes of earthy mushrooms in its finish, this bargain bottle stands out from many other similarly priced brands. In particular, it makes particularly excellent accompaniment for heady stuffing and the dark meat of turkey thighs and drumsticks.                                                                                

2018 Siduri Pinot Noir ($23)—This wine from Willamette Valley in Oregon  shows a jammy bouquet and fresh taste of blackberries and cranberries with hints of chocolate, bolder than many Oregon Pinots but more typical for one from California. But with its light body and soft, dry finish it drinks more like a French Burgundy than anything from California and mates particularly well with starchy fare like sweet potatoes and mushroom laced stuffing, bringing out their earthy nuances.

2018 Route Stock  “Route 116” Pinot Noir ($22)—This medium-bodied, easy-drinking wine was made from grapes growing on a Sonoma Coast vineyard that benefits from the cool breezes off San Pablo Bay. It shows a bouquet and taste of ripe cherries and raspberries and notes of sage in its long lingering finish and is perfect to mate with hors d’oeuvres and appetizers as well as main course items and even desserts like rich pumpkin pie.

2018 The Withers English Hill Pinot Noir ($51)—While a bit on the pricey side, compared with the other selections, this wine delivers a rich floral bouquet and a full, concentrated taste of cranberries, plums with notes of fresh herbs in its long, smooth finish. Not surprisingly, it enhances the taste of the full range of Thanksgiving fare, from bland to sharp cheeses to turkey and stuffing to the classic green bean and mushroom soup casserole to a range of desserts, like apple and pecan pies.