Here’s the etiquette of tipping: If you’re visiting a culture that tips, tip the recommended amount. (If you actually live in a culture that tips, you can move on to advanced topics like tipping above or below the recommended amount based on service.)

Tipping might be illogical, but the time to debate or protest against it is not when you’re settling up your bill at a restaurant. Save that for Usenet. Or, to be more 21st century about it, your blog. Arguing over tipping in an attempt to avoid paying a tip just makes you look like an asshole. And here at GeekEtiquette, one of our mottos is “It’s better to be POLITE than RIGHT.” OK, I only just made that up, but it’s one of our mottoes now.

Not sure of tipping etiquette in other countries? I usually find that the Lonely Planet series of guidebooks (my personal favourite; I’m not paid by them in any way) give fairly straightforward tipping advice. Or, of course, there are approximately a squillion websites dealing with the subject.