So, that thing about restaurants validated the way I have felt about them for a long time: it's a way for post-20th Century people to feel like they have actual butlers and servants, and thus pay for a couple of hours of socially-validated classism. The people who bring you your food are even called servers. I absolutely loathe the feeling of being waited on, of being looked after by people who feel the need to suck up and be personable for tips, so if I could get the atmosphere of an establishment without watching people scrounge from table to table to perform for their money I'd be a lot happier with the whole thing. It's like a big stupid play we all take part in, and if your personal actor isn't up to snuff they don't walk away with any returns from the box office. Why does their temporary servitude matter? Why not go to a restaurant just for the food you want and not also have to decide how much money someone goes home with? Why is this one of the few times that compensation is arbitrarily decided on after the fact with random and inconsistent rules and customs?
It's all a big fucking sham that serves the owners and not the workers (until you get to high-end restaurants which is a whole 'nother can of worms). Tipping culture has bred overreliant and overindulgent people on two sides of a relatively simple human act we all do multiple times a day, and we in North America accept that as gospel just be-fucking-cause. Fuck that whole state of affairs.
Edit: Not sure why I ranted there, sorry. Probably 'cuz I'm drunk. Anyway, this is a good show!