Ask a Yank (non political questions) thread.

Yes and no. The 21 age definitely helps keep the alcohol away from younger ages (like middle school). But those kids intent on getting it will find a way regardless of the age.
This. I honestly think it works for the greater good though.
 

I tend to tip here, normally by way of rounding up. £16 for a haircut, leave a £20. £8 taxi leave a tenner. Pubs, if I’m in for a few offer the barman/barmaid a drink.
 
This 😂 I can't eat bacon in the States for this reason. Intrigued to know how Americans feel about the bacon we have and how you think it compares?
American bacon is like eating a boiled shoe, it’s just dried up nastiness…but then they have biscuits and gravy 🥰. They make up for all the sins of the bad bacon they are absolutely beautiful and I’m just glad we don’t eat that stuff over here because I would be trapped in my bed being washed by somebody with a stick with a wet sponge on the end.
 
American bacon is like eating a boiled shoe, it’s just dried up nastiness…but then they have biscuits and gravy 🥰. They make up for all the sins of the bad bacon they are absolutely beautiful and I’m just glad we don’t eat that stuff over here because I would be trapped in my bed being washed by somebody with a stick with a wet sponge on the end.
I totally agree that there is a lot of food in the States that more than makes up for the bacon. Although controversially, I've never managed to get on board with biscuits 🤐 the gravy I'm totally down for especially with fried chicken, that I could eat all day, but biscuits for some reason remind me of savoury scones and I've never liked those either. I'm aware I'm in the minority with this 😂
 
Can we all agree that Canada's Poutine is literally hot garbage? We tried some on my last ski trip. The waitress saw how little we ate and said, "yeah, it's good if you've got a hangover". Well, if that's the yardstick, I guess...
 
I may get flack for this and if so then that's fine but I don't tip in that scenario. I was just at a restaurant with bar seating over the weekend and when I ordered a beer, the bartender opened a bottle and handed it to me. Didn't even pour it into a glass (I just asked for a glass to pour it myself). I did not tip in that case because all they did was open a bottle and give it to me. I'd do the same if it was a draft beer btw.
Depending on the attitude I may not have tipped either. They should always ask you if you want a glass unless its a total dive bar.

That said common Etiquette is to tip about $1 per drink even its its just to open a beer- and yeah seems a bit ridiculous to me - but I expect it going in.
If its something fancy\complicated - like a high end cocktail - then more than $1.

Yes they do technically make less than minimum wage - but like I said earlier if they are not making a lot more they are working at the wrong place or are a bad bartender - I know very few bartenders who are not making 40-50 and hour. If they have a really bad week the business has to make up the difference and bring them up to minimum wage.

I've said this before but when I go to Universal for HHN and am expected to tip on drinks from a vat that is not even served by a bar tender - than its really hard even for me to tip - they are just getting a pre made drink from a vat. I look at it it like is that $1 going to make a difference in my life? I'm already paying too much for a watered down drink from a vat so what's another $1.

Does it work?
I have yet to see an instance where prohibitionism has resolved the problem, instead of aggravating it.
Seen from a distance (and admittedly judging from movies and other media), it seems teens still find a way to drink and then they develop an association between alcohol and transgression and fun which leads them to binge drinking, both at a young age and later in life. Does being (supposedly) teetotal until 21, means young people are responsible in the way they drink as soon as they go to college?
I feel like it did work in the long run - but not initially. I can recall when the age was 18 and when it changed. People who were already 18 were grandfathered in and could still drink. There was a lot of underage drinking and a lot of the seniors who were grandfathered in could buy beers for others. Was not hard to get a fake ID . I can recall some very crazy house parties - and I mean crazy like a washing machine thrown out a window crazy. Every few years some local kid was killed in drink driving accidents and that seems far less common now - again in my experience.
Canada's Poutine is literally hot garbage?
100% disagree - I am not Canadian but love Poutine.
I believe the US is the only country in the world that allowed direct-to-consumer advertising of pharmaceuticals,
New Zealand as well - but hopefully we end it.
 
American bacon is like eating a boiled shoe, it’s just dried up nastiness…
I like Irish Bacon, but properly cooked American bacon is very unhealthy and very tasty.
That said we may have gone too far with bacon and putting it in and on everything - but there is always room for bacon.
 
I tend to tip here, normally by way of rounding up. £16 for a haircut, leave a £20. £8 taxi leave a tenner. Pubs, if I’m in for a few offer the barman/barmaid a drink.
Yeah - not really an option here - many bars don't let staff drink in the pub even on their days off.
Some places let you have a shift drink after closing - but just the one.

Of course there are other places where they give you 50% off your drinks\food and are glad to have you come in on your day off - but really who wants to go into where they work and drink. Many reasons not to.
 
Depending on the attitude I may not have tipped either. They should always ask you if you want a glass unless its a total dive bar.

That said common Etiquette is to tip about $1 per drink even its its just to open a beer- and yeah seems a bit ridiculous to me - but I expect it going in.
If its something fancy\complicated - like a high end cocktail - then more than $1.

Yes they do technically make less than minimum wage - but like I said earlier if they are not making a lot more they are working at the wrong place or are a bad bartender - I know very few bartenders who are not making 40-50 and hour. If they have a really bad week the business has to make up the difference and bring them up to minimum wage.

I've said this before but when I go to Universal for HHN and am expected to tip on drinks from a vat that is not even served by a bar tender - than its really hard even for me to tip - they are just getting a pre made drink from a vat. I look at it it like is that $1 going to make a difference in my life? I'm already paying too much for a watered down drink from a vat so what's another $1.
It wasn't a dive bar - it was a restaurant with a bar area. I wasn't asked and was just given the bottle. I'm not tipping for that, sorry. I usually tip when I go to a sit down restaurant but I won't when all the bartender did was open a bottle.

Honestly the tipping culture here is horrendous lol the other day my mom showed me a screenshot she took of a website she was about to buy clothes on and it actually asked her for a tip.
 
It wasn't a dive bar - it was a restaurant with a bar area. I wasn't asked and was just given the bottle. I'm not tipping for that, sorry. I usually tip when I go to a sit down restaurant but I won't when all the bartender did was open a bottle.

Honestly the tipping culture here is horrendous lol the other day my mom showed me a screenshot she took of a website she was about to buy clothes on and it actually asked her for a tip.
Yeah I've seen that - beyond ridiculous.

Some good stuff about how crazy tipping is in this video - and even getting to be in Europe thanks to us Americans messing things up.
This site is focused on Prague - but they also travel around Europe on occasion and the US.
On his recent US trip he went to a place in NY where the tip options on the screen were 3%, 5% and 7% - he did not know that they had already added 20% up front.

Been following these guys since before the pandemic and really good overall.
Never got bad advice from their videos and they have put themselves in danger more than once dealing with scammers.
 



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