P.Curmudgeon

OK, it's cranky curmudgeon week for Polly. I have complained about too much salt, about the cult of the tyrannical mean chef and oh, wasn't I griping about something else, too? But when it comes to peeves I keep around as pets, mine is tipping.

I would have thought that American society would have evolved past tipping by now, but instead it's spreading. You know those annoying tip jars on counters? Well, last weekend I took SkyBus to Boston (I mean, to an airport in the same general part of the country as Boston. A shuttle, a bus, a ride on the T and a taxi ride got us to where we were going eventually) The t-shirted flight attendant, after selling the in-flight food announced that "tips were happily accepted, though never expected."

I did not tip on my $2 bottle of water. Though my reasonable voice told me that I had only paid $35 for the flight, surely I ought to.