You Know You're an Aussie in NY when... #8

You watch new Aussie’s fresh of the boat, trying to tip at a bar.

American’s buy a drink, and smack a $1 note on the bench. The bar tender may not take it for a good 5 minutes, so it just sits there, untouched, to be collected eventually when things are quiet.

This is highly disconcerting for us Aussies. It appears the bar tender did not notice the precious dollar we are trying to give them, and now they want us to leave it on the bar for someone else to take. Which is exactly what would happen if you left a dollar on the bar in Australia. “Look! A dollar!” Yoink.

So instead, we hold our tip up in the air and wave it at the disappearing bar tender, as if to say:

“Look – here, a dollar! I’m leaving this for you. Come get it before someone takes it, or I change my mind.”

As the bar tender continues to ignores us, we have no choice but to place it on the counter, and rather than leave, we stay and wait to catch their eye again. We then point to the note and nod, so they know we are not leaving without them seeing us tip. We’d hate them to think we were doing a good old-fashioned “Aussie Runner.” 

Americans are so trusting in that way. They know nothing of our convict past, and treat us like we’re all adults. ;)