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News & ArtsWednesday, December 2, 2009
Chow Re: An Andy Rooney Moment™
Posted by Dan Savage on Wed, Dec 2, 2009 at 5:09 PM
I stuck this in the comments thread on Paul's post about the insultingly substandard teas on offer in many Seattle coffee shops. But this pisses me off so much—not enough to stiff anyone—that it deserves its very own Slog post:
Dear Seattle Baristas:Some coffee drinker ahead of me in line orders some insanely complicated coffee drink that involves forty separate steps to prepare. Grind the beans, make the espresso, dump it in the cup, pour the milk, add the chocolate, steam the milk, pour the steamed chocolate milk in the cup with the espresso, put the whip cream on top, drizzle with chocolate sauce—here's your mocha, coffee drinker, have a nice heart attack. Then I step up and order tea and the same barista HANDS ME A CUP OF HOT WATER AND ONE OF THOSE INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED TEABAGS. What is up with baristas who can't even be bothered to rip the open the packet and put your goddamn teabag in the goddamn hot water?!?
And I still tip 'em a dollar every time.
Love,
Dan Savage
This has been A Bonus Andy Rooney Moment™.
1
the only "coffee" place that does tea correctly is Peets.
the water must be brought just to boil AND THEN IMMEDIATELY REMOVED FROM THE HEAT SOURCE. the tea must not oversteep.
you tip 50% on a cup of tea? stand up for yourself.
the water must be brought just to boil AND THEN IMMEDIATELY REMOVED FROM THE HEAT SOURCE. the tea must not oversteep.
you tip 50% on a cup of tea? stand up for yourself.
2
You tip a dollar for a cup of tea!? Life is good as Dan Savage: Media Mogul, but wouldn't that money be better spent on your child's education? Or drugs!?
3
DS, if you want to achieve your espresso cart tea fantasy, you have to not only stop rewarding that uncaring and self-absorbed behavior and talk to your partner about what you want. If your barista doesn't at least try after that, then it's time to DTMFA.
4
What coffee shop are you going to that doesn't put the tea bag in the water? Starbucks and Peet's both do that.
5
Maybe if you supported Seattle's TEA SHOPS they would have enough money to expand to new branches all over the city......problem fucking solved.
6
What a passive pussy whiner-
drinking tea, for starters,
taking shit off a lowly barista,
then tipping a buck.
Never having the balls to ask for what he wants but then complaining about it on a public forum.
Seattle's Favorite Bottom Boy...
drinking tea, for starters,
taking shit off a lowly barista,
then tipping a buck.
Never having the balls to ask for what he wants but then complaining about it on a public forum.
Seattle's Favorite Bottom Boy...
9
At a fancy coffee shop is it too much too expect fancy looseleaf tea.
Restaurants in general have bad at tea. I've mostly given up ordering hot tea.
Restaurants in general have bad at tea. I've mostly given up ordering hot tea.
10
@9 you could be like my depression era Grandma and bring your own. Restaurants haven't even thought to do "corkage" fees for this yet.
11
There are also those germophobic customers who might get upset at a barista for violating--what appears to be--a completely sterilized teabag by opening the package and putting their grubby hands all over it. I'm not one of them, but I've certainly met them.
But then, anyone who deals with the public is going to piss someone off, no matter what they do.
But then, anyone who deals with the public is going to piss someone off, no matter what they do.
12
When somebody really puts forth an effort, they deserve a little something extra. But this tipping automatically, that shit's for the birds. As far as I'm concerned, they're just doin their job.
13
My non-Depression-era father brings his own tea bags everywhere. And I've started to as well. If I'm using a tea bag and not loose leaf tea I want the water poured over it, not stuck in an already full cup.
How many tea places are there in Seattle and where are they? I go to Remedy Tea on 15th a lot. Are there any other places?
How many tea places are there in Seattle and where are they? I go to Remedy Tea on 15th a lot. Are there any other places?
14
You tip silently and begrudgingly, then whine on your blog about shitty service. Talk about passive-aggressive.
You know what else would be passive-aggressive? "Tea-bagging" or otherwise defiling the beverage of Dan Savage when he comes into your shop.
Here's hoping baristas don't read Slog, right?
You know what else would be passive-aggressive? "Tea-bagging" or otherwise defiling the beverage of Dan Savage when he comes into your shop.
Here's hoping baristas don't read Slog, right?
15
@13 just off the top of my head: Perennial Tea Room in Downtown (World Spice Merchants is down there too). Teacup in Queen Anne, Miro Tea in Ballard.
and I don't even drink tea regularly! (amateur tea drinker at best).
Also, google maps is your friend.....you should try looking more up.....or how about Yelp? they categorize everything. TEH INTERNETZ IS TEH BEST!
:)
and I don't even drink tea regularly! (amateur tea drinker at best).
Also, google maps is your friend.....you should try looking more up.....or how about Yelp? they categorize everything. TEH INTERNETZ IS TEH BEST!
:)
16
The best tea is at Uncle ELizabeth's on Pike near CLub Z. Loose tea from Pike Market that they put in muslim bags and add boiling water to.
17
I think the problem is that he goes to that snooty Victrola. I shudder to think how haughty the baristas there would get if you ever tipped them less than 50% for anything.
20
I don't even try to get tea outside of my home. Making tea is an art, and every time I see a half-dry teabag floating on top of scalding water in a paper cup it makes me despair for humanity.
22
My gripe about tea is when they give you a room-temperature ceramic cup to put it in. By the time it steeps, it's no longer hot. The best places, like Oddfellows, warm the cup before they give it to you.
23
As someone who never drinks coffee after 12 p.m., I also bemoan the lack of decent non-coffee drinks at various establishments in this town. However, two places at least (Tougo Coffee on 18th & Union and Cafe Solstice in the U District) serve real loose leaf tea. Tougo will also give you extra hot water for a second steep.
24
This is a general barista tipping question, but it's always bugged me - I was under the impression that baristas get paid a regular hourly wage, as opposed to restuarant/bar waitstaff who are usually paid half wages (under the assumption that their tips will make up for the rest).
Do coffee shop staff get regular wages or not? I tip pretty well at bars and restaurants, but I usually don't tip at places that require me to stand in line while someone tosses my order on a tray, tip jar or not.
Am I an asshole (for THIS reason)?
Do coffee shop staff get regular wages or not? I tip pretty well at bars and restaurants, but I usually don't tip at places that require me to stand in line while someone tosses my order on a tray, tip jar or not.
Am I an asshole (for THIS reason)?
25
BOILING water. Poured onto the tea. Not a cup of hot water beside a teabag. It's not rocket surgery!
26
Karla, WA is different than many other states - service workers are required by law to be paid minimum wage regardless of their tip earning potential.
My first job as a waitress in Colorado paid me $2.10/hr. That doesn't happen here (legally).
Even so, minimum wage isn't much. Tip your service workers at least 15% - it'll help make up for the fact that they don't have health insurance.
My first job as a waitress in Colorado paid me $2.10/hr. That doesn't happen here (legally).
Even so, minimum wage isn't much. Tip your service workers at least 15% - it'll help make up for the fact that they don't have health insurance.
27
Like you 24, I wonder if baristas get regular hourly wages or not. I've never tipped for tea, they just get me hot water and toss a bag into it.
If an establishment does not pay full wages, I will tip and do so generously, I thought in Washington, all employees had at least minimum wage. I still tip over prepared drinks and at restaurants, of course, but its not like in South Carolina or Texas where the employees make 3 bucks an hours and they really depend on tips.
Personally, I can't stand a business that insists customers pay its employees in tips at their discretion. It's an establishment's job to pay wages.
Yeah, Dan, unless those employees get meager substandard wages, I wouldn't bother tipping for tea.
If an establishment does not pay full wages, I will tip and do so generously, I thought in Washington, all employees had at least minimum wage. I still tip over prepared drinks and at restaurants, of course, but its not like in South Carolina or Texas where the employees make 3 bucks an hours and they really depend on tips.
Personally, I can't stand a business that insists customers pay its employees in tips at their discretion. It's an establishment's job to pay wages.
Yeah, Dan, unless those employees get meager substandard wages, I wouldn't bother tipping for tea.
28
@24
All service individuals, restaurant or barista, get paid the shitty minimum wage. And minimum wage is very shitty. Want to know something? If minimum wage today had the same buying power that it did in 1968, when the law was first passed, it would be over fifteen dollars an hour. So the next time some baby boomer brags about paying their way through college or a trip to India or some shit, tell them to fuck themselves -- they've never had a "minimum wage job."
One time I served Dan Savage. We didn't have exactly what he wanted. He was brusque, but not unpleasant. I am not allowed to get tips, so I didn't get any.
All service individuals, restaurant or barista, get paid the shitty minimum wage. And minimum wage is very shitty. Want to know something? If minimum wage today had the same buying power that it did in 1968, when the law was first passed, it would be over fifteen dollars an hour. So the next time some baby boomer brags about paying their way through college or a trip to India or some shit, tell them to fuck themselves -- they've never had a "minimum wage job."
One time I served Dan Savage. We didn't have exactly what he wanted. He was brusque, but not unpleasant. I am not allowed to get tips, so I didn't get any.
29
I was a barista for about a year and we always used loose tea in one of those mesh balls on a chain. Reminded me of a Catholic incense ball for the art-fags (self described, sorry). It always annoyed us when we'd ask what kind of tea and people would say "regular". We'd give them Earl Gray, but the least they could do, if they were going to be devoted enough tea drinkers to order it at a coffee shop, was to read the Lipton bag. Black and orange pekoe.
And we got paid LESS than minimum wage, because Illinois law says you can be paid less if your tips are expected to make up the difference. No delivery person or wait staff here makes minimum wage. That's part of the reason I quit after a year. I went for a much higher paying job at a gas station.
And we got paid LESS than minimum wage, because Illinois law says you can be paid less if your tips are expected to make up the difference. No delivery person or wait staff here makes minimum wage. That's part of the reason I quit after a year. I went for a much higher paying job at a gas station.
30
Wow, just wow. You must have a pretty good life if the biggest thing you can think to complain about is having someone put your fucking teabag in your tea water! lol. Oh, and make sure in every post you do you complain about how people who actually eat are GOING TO DIE YOU BIG FATTIES! Because skinny people never die and only gluttons drink mochas. Wow, just wow.
31
Why are so many people so put off by baristas in this town. I mean, you can go to a bar that serves alcohol, wait in line forever, be treated like shit or ignored altogether. Then a bartender pushes a button dispensing soda water and holds a bottle upside down for two seconds and you throw money at them like it's nothing. A barista has to deal with you when you are tired, cranky and feeling as particular as you wanna be and yet you question if you should tip a dollar. Baristas are what make this town go people, have a little respect!
32
Orange pekoe is, bizarrely, just about the size of the leaf, not the flavor. Nothing remotely orange about it. Lipton is just black tea. Terrible black tea.
33
Go to Peet's or Shinka Tea on Olive just down a little bit from Broadway, Dan. If you want a nice sit-down tea, Shinka gives you a clear glass pot over a tea light, a little timer and will do second steeps for you. It's also nice, calm, roomy and a great place to work and study (free wifi).
34
You understand that Lipton is just floor-sweepings from the tea factory, right? I visited one of those places in Asia, and when I saw them sweeping up the little tea bits and pieces (and bugs) on the floor and asked, they said "Oh, we can't waste anything. This goes into tea bags." *shudder*
But if you want real tea outside your home, go to an actual tea house and take the time necessary to do it. It's a great experience. And in Olympia, we don't have one, so I'm jealous of you lucky Seattleites.
But if you want real tea outside your home, go to an actual tea house and take the time necessary to do it. It's a great experience. And in Olympia, we don't have one, so I'm jealous of you lucky Seattleites.
35
The best tea store of the Salish Sea is in Kent.
Xiu Xian Tea:
http://www.xiuxiantea.com/aboutus.htm
36
@ 21 "It's not like the straight world, where guys almost always have to be the ones making the passes and doing the asking-out because most women are too afraid to do that and risk rejection."
As a 30 year old alpha straight woman, I resent that statement. I have almost always been the one who leads the relationship, from the initial meet and greet to calling it quits.
As a 30 year old alpha straight woman, I resent that statement. I have almost always been the one who leads the relationship, from the initial meet and greet to calling it quits.
37
Tea/tipping flame war on SLOG. Let's bring in bikes, fois gras and pit bulls and ride this bitch to 500 comments.
39
Re: @30 - I say! Anyone for finger-wagging condescension? How about a double dose?
Seriously, can we all agree to abstain from "Wow, just wow" on the intertubes, just for a little while? It is among the most grating things.
I would not miss comments prefaced with "Um..." either.
Seriously, can we all agree to abstain from "Wow, just wow" on the intertubes, just for a little while? It is among the most grating things.
I would not miss comments prefaced with "Um..." either.
40
So instead of opening the individually wrapped teabag, you want a barista to teabag you? Get in line, sir.
41
(slightly off topic) --> just checked The Seattle Weekly's Blog and saw nothing but tumbleweeds.
We here on The Slog should pause for a moment and be grateful that something as trivial as Dan's petty griping gets 40 comments.
IJS
We here on The Slog should pause for a moment and be grateful that something as trivial as Dan's petty griping gets 40 comments.
IJS
43
I'm going to assume all the snide comments about Dan's little hissy fit are sarcastic because - I think it was very funny and right on. I drink tea instead of coffee and it's amazing how many restaurants, cafes, etc don't have decent tea. I've been to places that didn't have tea at all or they had, God help us, Lipton tea, which sucks like pond scum.
A good cup of tea is less fattening ( without the milk and sugar) has less caffeine or nasty tannic acid to eat your stomach. The non-caffeine teas can be quite soothing and healthy.
As to all you irate commentators, maybe you need to cut back on the coffee, it's making you mighty cranky. Have a nice day. :)
A good cup of tea is less fattening ( without the milk and sugar) has less caffeine or nasty tannic acid to eat your stomach. The non-caffeine teas can be quite soothing and healthy.
As to all you irate commentators, maybe you need to cut back on the coffee, it's making you mighty cranky. Have a nice day. :)
44
@43 if you care about "fat" in your coffee or tea you are going about life alllllll wrong...seriously
45
@ 43 - you realize that tannic acid only has a pH of about 6... which makes it a paltry acid considering the strength of gastric acid (pH of 1-2 - roughly 10,000 times more acidic). Just thought you'd like to know that the "nasty tannic acid" isn't going to do a goddamn thing to your stomach.
46
@26, et al Thanks for the info. For the record, the baristas I've known personally only stayed with the job BECAUSE it provided health insurance, but obviously that isn't the same at every shop.
You have to be the worst server in the world for me to tip less than 20% at restaurants, or a buck a drink at bars (I still hold out hope that some bartender in the Northwest will eventually honor the "buy back" rule), but I am kind of shirty about tipping counter people.
Maybe it's because I'm poor Midwestern trash at heart and think "I don't tip the guy putting my Big Mac on a tray, do I need to tip the chick putting a panini on it?" I know minimum wage is sucky and all, but the concept of tipping for non-sit down service still seems alien to me. I mean, am I honestly supposed to tip at a mall food court? Or for someone to hand me a scone? REALLY?
[I'll stop my own Andy Rooney moment here and let you guys get started writing your "Go back to where you came from, cretan, stop ruining Seattle with your hick ways!" replies]
You have to be the worst server in the world for me to tip less than 20% at restaurants, or a buck a drink at bars (I still hold out hope that some bartender in the Northwest will eventually honor the "buy back" rule), but I am kind of shirty about tipping counter people.
Maybe it's because I'm poor Midwestern trash at heart and think "I don't tip the guy putting my Big Mac on a tray, do I need to tip the chick putting a panini on it?" I know minimum wage is sucky and all, but the concept of tipping for non-sit down service still seems alien to me. I mean, am I honestly supposed to tip at a mall food court? Or for someone to hand me a scone? REALLY?
[I'll stop my own Andy Rooney moment here and let you guys get started writing your "Go back to where you came from, cretan, stop ruining Seattle with your hick ways!" replies]
48
Welcome to the George Orwell Tea Shop. This is how one makes a proper cuppa tea:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/30163…
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/30163…
50
@28 --- You have no idea what you are talking about. The minimum wage law was enacted in 1938.
The minimum wage in 1966 was $1.60, so adjusted for inflation that's about $10.50 an hour today.
And yes, I put myself through school doing minimum wage jobs for years.......
I'm glad Dan has the cash to tip a dollar to people who do nothing extra, but so what? I guess it means he can "buy" blog time to whine about it.....
The minimum wage in 1966 was $1.60, so adjusted for inflation that's about $10.50 an hour today.
And yes, I put myself through school doing minimum wage jobs for years.......
I'm glad Dan has the cash to tip a dollar to people who do nothing extra, but so what? I guess it means he can "buy" blog time to whine about it.....
51
ha ha hA... $1 tips???? why?????????? the fact that baristas don't get even minimum wage is no reason to tip. that is another thing your obama should do for you. not allow people being paid LESS than minimum wage just becasue 'tips wil make out the difference'. chgange your laws. pay more taxes., use the money for something other than a HUGE army.
and anyway, 10 and 13 are absolutely rght, if yo want good tea, pur the hot water OVER the tea (loose leaf or bagged) and if it is a good quality tea that you bring with you much better ^_^
and anyway, 10 and 13 are absolutely rght, if yo want good tea, pur the hot water OVER the tea (loose leaf or bagged) and if it is a good quality tea that you bring with you much better ^_^
52
GAH!!!!!! You philistines! Not boiling water! Never boiling water! If the tea is black, the temperature should be about 190, if it's an oolong around 180, and if it's green around 160, 165. The water MUST NOT BE CHLORINATED! And for the love of Christ, quit patronizing tea shops that put their tea in those decorative, unsealed jars! If the tea isn't vacuum sealed its flavor gets ruined by the exposure to air.
The only place to buy tea is either Kuan Yin or that tea shop behind Uwajimaya in the ID that used to be a Ten Ren's. They're independent now, but there's no name on the front. You can get decent, working-class vacuum sealed tea at Uwajimaya, too.
Gawd!
The only place to buy tea is either Kuan Yin or that tea shop behind Uwajimaya in the ID that used to be a Ten Ren's. They're independent now, but there's no name on the front. You can get decent, working-class vacuum sealed tea at Uwajimaya, too.
Gawd!
53
I go to that Coffee Shop on Pine west of the Wildrose, not because they are particularly good at what they do, but because I have a secret crush on the skinny young man who works there. He doesn't give me a second glance, which is undoubtedly just as well (I am, after all, a Beacon Hill Housewife Who Knows Her Place) but he's dreamy to look at for a few minutes and think absolutely filthy thoughts about.
They're terribly surly there, particularly to middle aged utility workers, yet I still tip. Does that make me a bad person?
They're terribly surly there, particularly to middle aged utility workers, yet I still tip. Does that make me a bad person?
54
Geez Dan. Quit it! Quit drinking tea out there. Quit tipping, quit bitching. Drink tea at home the way you like it. End.
55
You tip a CASHIER a dollar for a tea that probably cost you a dollar? The person that makes you tea is not a Barrista, S/HE IS A CASHIER. The person that steams the milk, and makes the damn coffee-drink is a barrista. Stop wasting your money. And since tea is pretty simple - why dont you just make it at home? It's hot water and a dunked bag of grinded tea leaves. You'd probably be saving the environment by using a portable mug instead of a paper cup too.
56
@28, 50 is right. Here's a spiffy little set of graphs outlining changes in the nominal (dollar value) and real (purchasing power) minimum wage since its inception in 1938 (produced by an Oregon State instructor using credible federal data, so no reason to doubt their accuracy):
http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/anth484/…
Moreover, that only deals with the federal minimum wage, not state- and city-level minimum and living wages. Here in DC, the minimum wage is $8.25/hour. Up in your neck of the woods, the minimum wage is $8.55/hour. Is the minimum wage sufficient? Nope. Why go after your stats, then? Because if you're going to argue that the minimum wage needs to be increased, you need to do it in a factually accurate way or your argument won't stand. You're right that the minimum wage was highest in real terms in 1968, but not to the extent that you said, and it was still not sufficient to live on.
http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/anth484/…
Moreover, that only deals with the federal minimum wage, not state- and city-level minimum and living wages. Here in DC, the minimum wage is $8.25/hour. Up in your neck of the woods, the minimum wage is $8.55/hour. Is the minimum wage sufficient? Nope. Why go after your stats, then? Because if you're going to argue that the minimum wage needs to be increased, you need to do it in a factually accurate way or your argument won't stand. You're right that the minimum wage was highest in real terms in 1968, but not to the extent that you said, and it was still not sufficient to live on.
57
America is a coffee drinking nation. If anyone wants good tea they have to make it at home or go to a tea shop (Kuan Yin is my favorite). I can't bring myself to expect proper care for my tea in a coffee shop. Because coffee is their thing. The same applies for what passes for baked goods in coffee shops.
58
Why do bad tippers get so angry/offended at good tippers? Don't yell at me, but I also always tip $1 per cup of coffee.
And I don't think anyone mentioned Remedy Teas, which is probably right near Dan's house. They go over and beyond to make a good cup of tea, everyone is nice and the food is very good, too.
And I don't think anyone mentioned Remedy Teas, which is probably right near Dan's house. They go over and beyond to make a good cup of tea, everyone is nice and the food is very good, too.
59
As a coffee house worker (i.e., barista) I want to thank you immensely for being so kind as to tip $1. I am VERY sure you are a deeply appreciated customer at whichever cafes your frequent. Most of us make min wage and work - HARD. We work physically hard doing all sorts of multi-tasking and various jobs and we're often times "social workers" who listen (just as bar tenders do) to people's problems, stories, etc. Most of us are pretty good, I think, at making our job look easier than it is...food service, oddly, often brings out the strangeness in customers and do those tips ever help us form getting burned out.
These days, in the days of technology, many of us also spend time at home working online for the cafe we are employed (creating and updating sites, ads, etc.).
By the way, the independent cafe I work at in NorCal puts the tea bag in the glass, then we run the steaming water over the tea bag. Seems like the best way to brew tea.
These days, in the days of technology, many of us also spend time at home working online for the cafe we are employed (creating and updating sites, ads, etc.).
By the way, the independent cafe I work at in NorCal puts the tea bag in the glass, then we run the steaming water over the tea bag. Seems like the best way to brew tea.
60
56
The minimum wage is not supposed to be a "living wage".
It is a "minimum" wage.
See how that works?
If you raise the minimum wage to a living wage level teenagers and college students and your baristas would never get a job. If you want to be paid a living wage develop some job skills above the "minimum"...
The minimum wage is not supposed to be a "living wage".
It is a "minimum" wage.
See how that works?
If you raise the minimum wage to a living wage level teenagers and college students and your baristas would never get a job. If you want to be paid a living wage develop some job skills above the "minimum"...
61
#52 -- don't herniate man. Boiling water over cheap black tea is a very british way of drinking the stuff, and my personal favorite. Not everyone is a purist.
Dan -- a dollar? WHAT? For crap tea that is a bag DIPPED in lukewarm water? Friends don't let this happen to friends. And please, your pixelated friends don't want to let this happen to you.
Dan -- a dollar? WHAT? For crap tea that is a bag DIPPED in lukewarm water? Friends don't let this happen to friends. And please, your pixelated friends don't want to let this happen to you.
62
@60 i think minimum wage is supposed to be a living wage. that's like the entire point of having a minimum. additionally, many, many service workers do have skills above the "minimum"--a lot of us have at least BAs, and I've worked in bagel shops with people who had masters degrees. but there's not enough jobs out there, and you have to take what you can get. 59 is right on. the work is way harder than it seems, and really wears you down. i tip a dollar for tea because i've worked too many of these jobs and know that lots of customers--especially the most demanding customers--don't tip at all. i always figure that if i can't afford to tip, then i really can't afford to go out to eat/drink. and anyway, it's really condescending to think that everyone has the opportunity to "develop skills above the minimum."
64
@ Karla, here's my personal tipping rule: bartenders and baristas do pretty much the same job. Bartenders pour beer and wine, baristas pour coffee and tea; bartenders mix drinks, baristas mix lattes. Some bartenders and baristas make awesome drinks. Therefore, I tip baristas the same way I tip bartenders (change for coffee or beer, dollar for lattes or mixed drinks, more on both if service was nice or drink was really good).
As far as Big Mac vs Paninis go, there's a difference between a corporate joint that uses mass-produced frozen food and doesn't allow for tipping and a local place that bakes their bread, slices their fresh veggies, etc. It's the effort that matters.
As far as Big Mac vs Paninis go, there's a difference between a corporate joint that uses mass-produced frozen food and doesn't allow for tipping and a local place that bakes their bread, slices their fresh veggies, etc. It's the effort that matters.
65
@64 - You must have better coffee shops than I do. I think there's maybe one coffeeshop in my town that actually makes their own food. Even among the non-corporate ones. The rest just buy it pre-made - no effort required on the hand of counterstaff. They still allow tipping, mind you...
My tipping philosophy is along the lines of effort required. Honestly, if I'm going through a place with prepackaged food and minimum-effort drinks, I'm not going to tip. Being a good barista takes training and effort. Punching a couple buttons, not so much.
My tipping philosophy is along the lines of effort required. Honestly, if I'm going through a place with prepackaged food and minimum-effort drinks, I'm not going to tip. Being a good barista takes training and effort. Punching a couple buttons, not so much.
67
@ 65, Karla said something about tipping for big macs vs. a panini, so I was thinking about some of those upscale sandwich shops when I saw that. But I'm in agreement - tips should be about effort.
68
If you want real tea, go up to Canada.
With the exception of Alberta, most areas do a fairly good job of making decent tea.
With the exception of Alberta, most areas do a fairly good job of making decent tea.
69
Try Shinka Tea on the Ave near 47th, or Cap Hill, Olive and Belmont. They serve a larbe variety of loose teas in teapots, with free water refills. They also have free wifi.
70
62
College degrees do not equate to job skills.
If you Masters or Phd is in an area that isn't in demand in the real world it is just an expensive hobby.
College degrees do not equate to job skills.
If you Masters or Phd is in an area that isn't in demand in the real world it is just an expensive hobby.
71
Waiter! Oh, waiter! I’ll have a cup of tea, please. Yes, hot tea… really hot… And… waiter? Would you leave the teabag in the cup, please? Better yet, just leave it right here on my forehead, on my face, wherever, you know, on my chin. Thank you, you’re a dear. Big tip comin’ your way…
72
Yeah, the difference between working for a small, independent shop and a big chain can't be overstated. Small shops tend to hire only a few workers, who they often expect to work whatever shift they need them for close to or at full-time hours. You aren't hiring college students and young professionals looking for a little extra scratch for a condo down payment if you expect this. I don't particularly have a problem with McDonalds or Gap paying people $8/hr., but there are plenty of ads out there for full-time positions, some that require flexible availability offering less than even the above-calculated bare-bones living wage. Like:
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/f… - how do you do anything else working 10+ hours a day, 6 days/week?
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/c… - up to 40K including the commissions, huh? That base pay must ROCK!
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/c… - flexibility including evenings, weekends required, AND full-time, all for $10/hr! Sign me up!
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/o… - 2-3 years of experience will buy me $10/hr. + up to $6K in annual bonuses?!?
You wanna pay people wages below a "living" wage for grunt work, fine. But paying full-time (or more) employees with experience $10/hr is insulting, and, unfortunately, all too typical these days. Perhaps we need a more stratified minimum wage system, but that would be awfully difficult to implement (no, the carpenter-style "prevailing wage" model won't work because "prevailing wages" for most people shy of millionaires are really out of wack, these days).
More...
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/f… - how do you do anything else working 10+ hours a day, 6 days/week?
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/c… - up to 40K including the commissions, huh? That base pay must ROCK!
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/c… - flexibility including evenings, weekends required, AND full-time, all for $10/hr! Sign me up!
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/o… - 2-3 years of experience will buy me $10/hr. + up to $6K in annual bonuses?!?
You wanna pay people wages below a "living" wage for grunt work, fine. But paying full-time (or more) employees with experience $10/hr is insulting, and, unfortunately, all too typical these days. Perhaps we need a more stratified minimum wage system, but that would be awfully difficult to implement (no, the carpenter-style "prevailing wage" model won't work because "prevailing wages" for most people shy of millionaires are really out of wack, these days).
73
Re @39 Haha! My sentiments exactly. No need to get all up in arms about a post which has nothing to do with fatties. Anyway, I think she's just mad cuz she's a fattie.
76
First of all, Dan is right. Even if it's not a place catering to tea drinkers that's just rude. If you are going to Victrola-which I suspect you are given it's near the super secret gay HQ where you and Terry tie up boys and saran wrap PB&J's for the little guy-they will always be rude, but you will always tip them because some of them are cute, some of them it's fun to tip just to tempt them away from snideness, and also that whole guilt from having a better job than them.
As for # what, 39? This isn't a fat issue. mochas are gross. it's like a laxative. The worst? the decaf mocha. Like dude, take some metamucil. foamy milk and coffee make great friends. someone got a mean sugar rush from that pack of Little Debbies they just downed and got cranky methinks.
and #42? Dan isn't much of a gin guy. He's a beer or vodka man. I'm a bartender and also get stuck in line behind him at comeback once in a while.
Tea's alright but it's not my BAG!
get it?
anyways, always tip, ALWAYS TIP. unless it's like, the rudest person ever with open wounds, margarita nostrils, are you saw them drool all over your drink.
Especially at Vivace and Bauhaus because they have the best baristas in the universe.
As for # what, 39? This isn't a fat issue. mochas are gross. it's like a laxative. The worst? the decaf mocha. Like dude, take some metamucil. foamy milk and coffee make great friends. someone got a mean sugar rush from that pack of Little Debbies they just downed and got cranky methinks.
and #42? Dan isn't much of a gin guy. He's a beer or vodka man. I'm a bartender and also get stuck in line behind him at comeback once in a while.
Tea's alright but it's not my BAG!
get it?
anyways, always tip, ALWAYS TIP. unless it's like, the rudest person ever with open wounds, margarita nostrils, are you saw them drool all over your drink.
Especially at Vivace and Bauhaus because they have the best baristas in the universe.
77
I think your complaint is valid. I have the same feeling every time I'm handed a packaged tea bag and a cup. Another thing I hate? The coffee menu is on a big easy-to-read board, but if you want to know what types of tea they offer you have to ask for a list, or lean over the counter and try to read the stack of boxes they're pointing at. If you have room to write about, basically, six kinds of milkshakes (fancy coffees), you have room to list teas. And hey it would be more efficient, because I would actually know what was available when it came time for me to order.
78
If you're ordering green/white/oolong tea, your barista is right to hand you the tea bag separately, and you are an idiot for wanting anything else.
Why? Because boiling water over most green tea totally destroys the flavor. It brings out the bitterness and gives you what tastes like a big fat cup of hot tannins.
Why? Because boiling water over most green tea totally destroys the flavor. It brings out the bitterness and gives you what tastes like a big fat cup of hot tannins.
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