Another post dealing with politesse.
It is commonly understood among Americans that one should expect poor service, by American standards, at a Chinese restaurant -- you can see this in the reviews of Chinese restaurants at Yelp. There are many Chinese restaurants that provide good service, both small ones (like Emperor Palace in SF) and those that have been inspired by the upper-scale restaurants in Hong Kong (Dynasty).
What are the origins of service industry in China as compared with England and Continental Europe? Did it have roots in, or at least tied to in some way, to the service of the nobility or the elites by members of the lower classes? Or even if it is linked to the rise of inns -- who could afford to travel and stay at such places? Would not innkeepers have to act as servants, either because of the class of the patrons? Can we compare English inns with those in China? When did the first commercial restaurants that were not a part of inn service appear in both areas? When do we see the beginnings of a service economy in imperial China? Was service etiquette always lacking in the cities of imperial China, with the transaction being more of an exchange of money for food and quality service not being expected? (Especially if the number of services was limited and the customers numerous.) What about pubs and restaurants in Europe? What are the origins of European standards hospitality within the "service industry"?
Immigrants should assimilate into their new society and adopt the native culture; but how is one to respond if they do not? Americans would be inclined to leave a small tip, or not one at all. But is there a point to complaining about it, when it is linked to a difference in cultures? Otherwise, are we not putting on ideological blinders by assuming that all cultures have the same standards of service and hospitality?
Certainly, there is a lack of emphasis on culture by the National Government -- a knowledge of history and of the government, basic lessons in "civics," are all one needs to gain citizenship in this country. I would argue that even with the limited political role of citizens, this is not enough to prepare people for citizenship. They should have a better knowledge of the laws, and a familiarity with the mores and customs of the community of which they are formally joining as citizens. There is something to be said for having a uniform set of rules of conduct within a community to foster unity and a common identity... solidarity. But it is unlikely the National Government will require any sort of education like this any time soon. It's opposed to the ideology of the proposition nation, and the National Government is one cause of the distingegration of local communities and cultures.
Besides, does one correct people for not adhering to standard "American" etiquette, by speaking with the manager or with the waiters? It seems that this would be out of place with respect to strangers, and more so with those who are one's superiors or seniors. (Even disrespectful.) One can also consider the likely outcome of such a repimand--they are not likely to change, especially because your lecturing lacks authority, and may even be offensive.
But maybe if it is instead presented as friendly business advice instead of criticism, the results might be different. One would need to be careful about one's emotions and attitudes in order to carry that off.
Up to now I have considered tipping to be more of a question of justice rather than liberality, since I heard that wait staff is paid the minimum wage or lower, as it is expected that this will be supplemented by the tips they receive. I don't know if in Japan if wait staff are paid better--but good service is expected there and given, not with the expectation that one will be paid extra because of it. As a result, the offering of a tip can be considered insulting. (It would be interesting to compare the development of hospitality standards in Europe with Japan's. The rest of East Asia seems to be imitating either Europe or Japan and not relying upon native customs.)
This does seem like a better solution--to pay wait staff a living wage, and to do away with tipping. But if that were to happen, how many restaurants could stay in business?
As for 'casual' dining... go into any fast-food restaurant or cafe, and you'll see that very often the employees are of a certain ethnicity. Americans have become accustomed to living with a certain kind of 'middle-class' luxury, without considering the consequences of the system they use. It's easy to talk about what the government should be doing for everyone, and what benefits we should receive when we don't have to think about the costs. Just as we don't need to worry about the person manning the cash register or flipping the burgers, so long as we get our food and it's not tainted. We pay lip service to social justice, but we don't look at our daily actions and see if they live up to its demands.
We may assume that everything is ok because "in the end, the market makes sure that this is the case"--after all, if the job were so bad, people would look for another one, right? But maybe we should be a bit more critical. As for the objection that if we don't patronize such places, goods will not be sold, businesses won't make money, and employees will be let go... do we not have a greater obligation to not support a system that exploits, and thus keep it in existence, rather than worrying about something that was always out of our control?
Are there universal standards of hospitality to be discovered by reason and therefore should be observed in all societies? How much 'pleasantness' and attentiveness should be required, beyond good 'personal skills'? Being pleasant and attentive are seen to be necessary for those working in customer service, but what can one reasonably expect or demand? Those who are born to serve (in a society where such class distinctions are made) may have no choice in the matter, but what about a persumably more 'egalitarian' society such as ours? Am I paying for someone to act the role of a servant (as opposed to a server, someone who brings the good that am I paying for)? By servant I do not mean someone who merely serves, but a human being who is only a tool or instrument for my satisfying my needs. A servant is an [social] inferior, and must therefore act accordingly.
In the more 'casual' restaurants in Hong Kong and Macau and China, good servers will bring you what you ask for, but they very likely will not anticipate your needs or take the initiative in asking you about what you might want. It really is more about providing food and drink than being a servant. (As for asking about the meal or the food... shouldn't that more about getting customer feedback about the food than 'service'?)
While a server should be friendly, why should I take it out on him financially if he is having a bad day? Being unfriendly is more of an offense against what is proper to living with others than justice. (Assuming that one is not paying for someone to be a 'servant'.) If a tech worker is having a bad day he doesn't risk losing his pay. Why should people in the 'service industry' be held to a different standard, unless we think of them as professional servants?
As for lack of attentiveness... if someone is busy (and not neglecting customers), one shouldn't reduce the amount of tip for that reason. (Though at least one inquiry into how things are going, if not once at each stage of the meal/transaction, would be appropriate.)
I would think that if people are to observe rules of courtesy and address, it is not because they are serving me, but because they are being good citizens. Too often we think of employees as serving customers. I don't see any reason not to think of this as a carry-over from a time when class distinctions and notions of superiority and inferiority went too far, to the deteriment of personal dignity. Rather, in any economy, all are working for mutual benefit, even if this is not at once apparent and if some jobs seem less necessary than others. (If they are less necessary, that does not mean they can be readily eliminated--we have to look at the underlying political economy and see why things are the way they are.) The necessary existence of authority and leadership does not require servility on the part of the subjects.
And so it seems to me that the standards of hospitality we demand are dependent upon our conception of service roles and acts. While we may be personally opposed to [chattel] slavery, how much of our day-to-day behavior with respect to service industry workers embodies the expectations of a master-servant relationship? While Aristotle's definition of a servant (or 'slave' as the Greek word is often translated) may not in itself entail these sorts of expectations, certainly there is room for the Christianization and transformation of the relationship--something that still needs to be completed today?
Begun on 6/5/08.
Last night we went to Oriental Restaurant on Noriega, between 32nd and 33rd. It is supposedly the sister restaurant of Emperor Palace. While the quality of the food at Emperor Palace the last time we had it (take-out) was worse than usual, it was, on the whole, better than the food at Oriental Restaurant. Though that is not to say I wouldn't go there again. But the food in general didn't have enough flavor. I did like the pickled vegetables though.
Tip - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
No comments:
Post a Comment