The Black Tip

Recently i was out with my boyfriend. we were at some fancy place (not because thats usually where we go, but i was perfoming there). Anyway, we orded drinks and chilled for a while. We had a really good waiter, Vusi was his name. He was so friendly and really seemed to care, i bet thats part of his job, but he still made us feel like part of the family.

So after a few hours of chilling, we call in for our bill. We had separate bills because i arrived before him so i opened my own tap. Vusi walkes back to us with both our bills and a pen. He leaves us with them. I look at the little slip and see a gab for a tip. I look at my boyfriend and i see he's thinking the same thing. "A tip"? I say. He has been so good to us you know.

Ok here's the Dilemma. me and my boyfrind, and most of my friends really are usually found at Mcdonalds, KFC, Picnic at the park and so on. Basically, we never faced with a situation were we have to tip anyone. so we have no idea what a "good tip" or a "bad tip" is. "R5" my boyfriend says. "I laugh, isn't that too little" i proclaim. "I dont know" he says honestly. The other Dilemma is really, we also dont have that much money, we never do. Lol maybe thats why we never come to such places, not because we dont want to, because we know we cant afford it-yet. Its not an issue for me, i'm use to my life and like the places i go to. I feel like, its where i am now. Few years later i will be in a different place, will hang in places that will suit the lifestyle then, no biggie.

Finally, we both decide to scrible 10rands on the tip, each, on our bills. Still i wonder to myself if this is enough. i dont know if this is usually what he gets, maybe he gets more than this. Maybe he thinks we are such asswholes for tipping so little. lol

Ive struggled with this for a while now. Balancing my normal everyday life and this new life i'm exposed to now that i perfom a lot in different places. The places i go to sometimes, most of the times i cant afford them. Like i said, ive never really had a problem with my life and its not an issue what i can afford and cannot. But when you thrown into that world, you wonder if people around you cant see that you not, well, one of them. I'm just there to perfom, lol, and really, its not my scene, but i find my self trying to act confortable in the place, you know like Jim comes to Jozi.

After speaking to a few of my friends, i realised how most of us black people from the township have to adjust to the lifestyle we find ourselves in. And tipping, is a shaky topic in the black community. yah neh, sometimes blacks can be so Mcdonalised..lol..

Bless***