I hate tipping. I know that makes me sound cheap, but the notion that those in the U.S. service industry, particularly waitstaff, do not get paid even minimum wage, infuriates me. Knowing that their rent or food money is dependent on tips just doesn’t sound right – why should this be any different than any other job in terms of earnings? So when I visit countries in Asia and Europe where tipping is not expected (and in some places considered an insult), it feels liberating to know that a) these servers are (I hope) getting paid a living wage, and b) I don’t have to deal with calculating a tip in my head. So it was nice when we went to Sushi Yasuda tonight, and our bill said that tipping was not accepted, because as is the tradition in Japan, all staff are served a living wage – a breath of fresh air in the midst of a polluted city.