Text 10392, 132 rader
Skriven 2011-05-06 21:20:18 av Dave Drum (1:18/200.0)
  Kommentar till text 10353 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
Ärende: TIPPING
===============
-=> JIM WELLER wrote to DAVE DRUM <=-

 -=> Quoting Dave Drum to Jim Weller <=-

 DD> If food service establishments were forced to pay staff at
 DD> least minimum wage

 JW> They do here. Food and beverage waiters get $10 here, the NWT
 JW> minimum wage. Fast food employees, at least in Yellowknife, get more
 JW> ($11 to start, up to $15 with experience) or there wouldn't be any.

Here, the restaurateurs have institutionalised the tip by getting the gummint
to go along with tip income being a part of the pay for wait staff. Which
allows them to pay wait staff a joke hourly rate and if they don't make it up
in tips ... tough. If the gummint would tell restaurants that they must pay
wait staff the same as they pay their bussers and dishwashers and janitors -
things would change only slightly - except the waiter/ess bookkeeping would
become simpler - since they could maintain the fiction that their total pay was
that min-wage stipend and not have to declare their tips.
 
 DD> the menu prices would rise

 JW> And they did.

 DD> automatically adding a "gratuity" to the bill.

 JW> I really dislike that. Either give me an honest full priced menu or
 JW> allow me to tip but don't force me to tip.

I'm still steamed at the Hotel Institute in Montreal and at that slattern who
screwed up everything at our table ... more or less. That was an enforced
"gratuity added" situation. When in truth the trull who we had should have paid
Gigi for the lesson she gave her. I got a re-hash in English at Flo's later.
And it made me blush ... me, who learned to swear creatively from my Dad and
Granddad, and from several Chief Petty Officers in the Navy, and one Marine
Gunnery Sergeant. But, Gigi laid them ALL in the shade. She should have got our
"tip" as she did a lot more for my peace of mind, well being, and sense of
justice than anyone at the Hotel Institute.
 
 DD> I do not tip taxi drivers

 JW> After looking at their rates and the cost of both the vehicle and
 JW> the gas, I do. About 10% Once again I'd rather see a 10% higher
 JW> meter rate and no tips. Yellowknife is compact enough that a ride
 JW> never costs more than $12, not even to and from the airport.

Taxi drivers here "rent" their cabs for 40% of their collected fares. They have
no capital outlay. Rates here are U$2.75 for the first 1/2 mile and 50c for
each additional 1/10th mile. Plus a rate for waiting time that would make your
average street corner hooker proud. So, unless they help hustle the luggage or
the shopping .....

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

      Title: Les Moules Secrhtes de la Femme du Chauffeur de Taxi *
 Categories: Shellfish, Vegetables, Wine, Herbs
      Yield: 2 servings

      2 lb Fresh mussels
      2    Shallots; peel, mince fine
      3 tb Unsalted butter
    1/4 ts Fine sea salt
      2 c  Alsatian Gew|rztraminer wine
           Fresh ground black pepper
      2 ts Fresh or dried thyme leaves
           A handful of fresh flat-leaf
           - parsley leaves; minced

  Equipment: A large deep skillet with a lid

  * The Taxi Driver's Wife's Secret Mussels 

  Thoroughly scrub the mussels, and rinse with several changes
  of water. If an open mussel closes when you press on it, it
  is good; if it stays open, the mussel should be discarded.
  Beard the mussels. (Do not beard the mussels more than a few
  minutes in advance or they will die and spoil. Note that in
  some markets mussels are pre-prepared, in that the small
  black beard than hangs from the mussel has been clipped off
  but not entirely removed. These mussels do not need further
  attention.) Set them aside.

  In a large, deep skillet, combine the shallots, butter, and
  sea salt. Sweat-cook, covered, over low heat-until softened,
  about 3 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil over high
  heat, and boil, uncovered, until reduced by half, about 5
  minutes.

  Add the mussels, sprinkle generously with black pepper, and
  stir. Cover, and cook just until the mussels open, about 3
  minutes. Remove the mussels as they open. Do not overcook.
  Discard any mussels that do not open.

  Transfer the mussels and liquid to four warmed shallow soup
  bowls. Sprinkle each with thyme, parsley, and black pepper.
  Serve immediately, with finger bowls.

  Don't forget the crusty baguette to soak up the memorable
  sauce.

  Wherever I am in Paris, it seems, people want me to know
  about their special recipes. One day while a taxi driver was
  taking me from restaurant to market to specialty shop, he
  confided that his wife made the best mussels in the world.
  So delicious that everyone, he said, raved about them and
  his wife never, ever, revealed her secret. I did not even
  have to pop the question, and pretty soon he had shared his
  spouse's most guarded recipe: The key is Gew|rztraminer, the
  aromatic wine from France's Alsace region.

  Note: I use an inexpensive Gew|rztraminer when preparing
  this dish, and I serve the same wine with the mussels.

  What I Learned: Years ago, a fishmonger warned me against
  taking mussels home in a plastic bag and storing them in the
  refrigerator. Mussels stored in a sealed bag will suffocate
  and die. Rather, when you get home from the market, either
  place the mussels on a shelf in the refrigerator with the
  bag opened or, better yet, transfer them to a large bowl and
  cover the bowl with a damp cloth.

  The Splendid Table
 
  From: http://www.publicradio.org

  Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives

MMMMM

... When you work here you can name your own salary. I named mine "Fred".
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