On a weekend during Spring Festival, my parents and I were sitting in a restaurant. The drinks and food were good, so when we finished, my father left a tip(小费). As we were about to open the door, the waiter caught up with us. He gave the tip back to us. My dad forgot that here is China, and tipping is not common.
However, in some countries, tipping is the norm. That's the way it is in the US. It's said to be good manners to tip your waiter, taxi driver, hairdresser, doorman and so on. And how much you tip depends on the service, which can really put your math skills to the test! But we usually give a tip that is 15-20% of the bill.
So why is there a strong custom of tipping? In the US, waiters have a very low income(收入). They depend on tips to pay their bills. As a US writer once wrote about her experience as a waitress, "It was difficult and I lived and died by my tips."
