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NRI Latest News: An Indian YouTuber who traveled to the US has slammed the country’s oft-criticized tipping system, though his viral post found support and criticism in equal measure online. Ishan Sharma, currently touring the US, said that a restaurant in New York City refused to return his balance after he had ordered food worth $45 and paid $50 in cash.
He said that a server took the balance of $5 as her tip for serving him. “I asked for change, and she said ‘You have to pay the tip’ and went away,” he elaborated in his post on the social media platform X.
He asked the server if tipping was necessary but was summarily ignored. He called the practice of tipping in New York a scam while admitting that his friend, who is a local there, was embarrassed by his behavior. “And my friend (a local) felt guilty for not paying at least a 20% tip!” Mr. Sharma revealed this in his post.
It is clear why Ishan Sharma’s post on tipping culture has proved deeply polarising on social media. The post had racked up more than 4.6 lakh views on X, where many viewers, including Indians, slammed the YouTuber for refusing to follow social norms in another country.
Many of the X users condemned Sharma’s actions as wrong, citing the adage “When in Rome, do as Romans do.” They further berated the content creator for giving Indians a bad name, other than embarrassing his friend, by refusing to tip.
“15–20% tipping is a normal social convention in the USA. When in Rome, do as Romans do. If you strongly feel that tipping is wrong then don’t order the food at sit down restaurant,” wrote X user Jimmy Gandhi.
One user of X even went ahead and labelled Sharma as the reason behind racism against Indians, writing: “You are the reason why the globe is becoming racist against Indians. Stop being cheap.”
“You got away easy with only 10% as a tip. These days, it’s become the norm to tip at least 15-20% or more,” Shantanu Goel pointed out.
“Tipping is customary in this country. Not tipping is customary in other countries. This isn’t that complicated,” a user added.
