I have noticed that "tipping" and "street food" are two topics that arouse strong feelings.

Reading posts on these topics I have learned that I am "cheap" for not tipping 20% for lousy service and that I am a contemptible "chicken Caesar eater" for not eating off dirty street carts.

Therefore, my question: When I grow up, wise up, and want to throw up by eating street food, how much should I tip?

I guess if you just give it back you don't have to tip.

LOL.

I'm right behind you, HTTY. I don't like street food either (although in my younger days I did eat the stuff).

Doesn't a lady of your refinement have servants to bring you your Chicken Caesar salad? That would solve the tipping problem.

There you go again.

I don't understand the chicken caesar salad part... Some things are best left unexplained, I guess.

Somebody wrote: Lovers of street food are the culinary risk-takers of the world, not the Chicken caesar eaters who have no idea what's going on in the prep kitchens before...

Word of advice: Life is waaaay too short to get all wound-up about this stuff.

LOL HappyTrails, if this is a petition, where do I sign?

Tipping for street food?
Never heard of it.

Also, those guys have got to make $1,000 a day in cash ... well I don't.

Otherwise I'm pretty generous with tips, as MichelleNYC said - life is too short to worry about this stuff.

I wouldn't do it. I typically don't at the counter either, such at Starbucks or similar. Unless they do something special.

TIPS = To Insure Prompt Service

Street food vendors are not providing any service, as a waiter or waitress would. Therefore, there is no reason to tip.

Budget,

But isn't the service prompt?

I can't tell is this is a serious post or just kidding around


There are all different types of "street food" and not all of them come from a dirty cart.

TIPS = To Insure Prompt Service

A complete and utter urban myth.

But happytrails was just trying to stir things up because I insulted her salad bar concoction. <g>

I agree with Michelle.

Oh my, I don't like salad bars either (although in my younger days I did eat the stuff).

I took a culinary risk once, in Seville, Spain. We ordered Tapas without knowing what we were getting. Still, to this day, I'm not exactly sure what we ate, but it was good!

It's okay to have different perspectives on these things. We can still all get along, or maybe not.

It's funny how people who would never eat from a "street cart" will ooh and aah over the same food from the same cart at a country fair. City or country I usually tip people if they are young, working hard, and friendly.

Myar wrote:

"Budget,

But isn't the service prompt?"

Vending machines are prompt too, but I've never left one of them a tip.

Oh, so this is why that chocolate bar got stuck in the vending machine! Because Budget didn't tip, and I was the next customer!

I don't have an aversion to street food. I have left a tip when there was a tip jar, but don't automatically tip street vendors. Don't usually tip at ballpark, concert or movie concession stands either.

It just never occurred to me. Maybe it should have.

In my defense, I once tipped an older person that looked like he had worked hard in the past...