Tipping the Waiter: A Formerly Counterrevolutionary Act in Cuba Gains Ground

Yoani Sanchez - Award-Winning Cuban Blogger

Tipping the Waiter: A Formerly Counterrevolutionary Act in Cuba Gains Ground
Posted: 10/3/11 05:33 PM ET

The Canadian put the tip on a small plate, almost 10% of what he paid
for lunch with a young woman he'd just met. He left the restaurant,
rubbing his abdomen with satisfaction while she headed to the bathroom.
The girl, however, went by the table where they had eaten and put her
companion's two shiny convertible pesos in her purse. From the bar, the
bartender's shrewd eyes caught the moment and he shouted to the waiter.
But when he tried to catch her she had already gone, without saying
goodbye to the bewildered tourist waiting for her in the sun. With this
loss, the waiter calculated that he'd been left without the most
substantial reward of the day. Annoyed, he finished drying the glasses
and arranging the knives and forks.

For many years, to accept tips was an act cataloged almost as
counterrevolutionary. To receive a small economic stimulus from some
client could be seen as a petty bourgeoisie tit-for-tat, an undignified
gesture. Those were also the times when money had no real value, when it
could not be converted into goods and services given the strict ration
market that governed our lives. Perhaps this explains the mistreatment
employees subject their clients to, conduct which, sadly, continues even
today. But it can be said that with the return of tourism, the
appearance of the dual monetary system, and the opening of stores that
operate only in hard currency, this propina makes some sense, discretely
slipped into a hand, or left under the checked napkin wrapped around the
bill.

Right now, the main incentive for those who work in snack bars,
restaurants and hotels lies in the possibility of a visiting foreigner
leaving them some material gratification. There are also Cubans who have
begun to reward good service at certain places, handing out centavos
here and there. But the most sought after customers are those who come
from countries where it is established practice to give the waiters a
percentage of the total consumed. In the State sector, however, there
sill exist administrative measures against this practice, and in the
airports ECASA -- the management company -- has tried to eliminate it
without much success. Despite the stinginess of some and the prejudices
of others, the habit of rewarding good service is gaining ground. At
times deserved, and in other cases insistently demanded or simply
included in the bill, tipping now prompts grins, accelerates the arrival
of the trays, and makes the distressed waiter of this story smile again.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/yoani-sanchez/tipping-the-waiter-a-form_b_992584.html