An Aussie health coach who visited America recently described how she struggled with the experience of ordering food there and how profoundly it differed from the experience of ordering food back home.

Bec Hardgrave, a resident of Brisbane, Queensland, took to TikTok on Thursday to vent her frustrations over the fact that she was required to pay taxes and a tip in addition to the "regular price" for food and drink purchases.

"Okay, so there are two things in America that blow my mind: tips and taxes. I'm still confused about the topic, but I'll try to explain it to you," she said in the clip.

"So basically, I'll go to a café and order an avocado on toast for $7, but it's not $7 because when you get to the cash register and pay for the avo on toast, it's $7 plus tax and a minimum tip of 18% to your waiter or waitress, even if they didn't talk to you."

"I probably sound like a jerk, but they literally ask for a tip wherever you go, even if the waiter is only pressing one button. It is mental. And because tax is not included, it comes as a complete surprise at the register," she added.

Bec Hardgrave talks about the most confusing difference between menus in the US and Australia. Credit: TikTok/@bechardgrave.​

The Goods and Services Tax (GST), which Australians pay on products, is much simpler to calculate because it is included in the final price before the product even reaches the shelves.

In contrast, taxes for food and drink purchases in America are added at the register. The waiters and waitresses must also rely on tips in order to make a living wage.

Following the discovery, her followers who are fellow Aussies expressed their shock and disbelief at how expensive the products had become after the tax and tip were added.

One woman wrote in the comments, "Do you really have to tip for takeout? I'm haunted by a memory of trying to tip for sushi to go in LA and they looked at me like I was nuts," while another user added, "We have it better in Australia, we don't realise until we go overseas the major difference between our country and other countries."

​

Aside from the payment differences, Bec also observed that whenever she dined out, the entrées she ordered were significantly larger than the main course that was served.

In countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand, a dish that is served prior to a more sizable main course is referred to as an entrée. But it seems that things are different in America.

According to one user who commented on Bec's video, Americans apparently call their main dishes the entrée, that is why they're massive. Because Bec was unaware of the difference in food terms and portion sizes, she was ordering main dishes all this time!

On one occasion, she placed an order for nachos with guacamole, sour cream, tomatoes, beans, and cheese. However, she was shocked to see the 'entrée' was actually the size of a huge plate that could easily feed two people.

"I'm very confused and my clothes no longer fit," she joked in the video. "I can't do my jeans up anymore so if someone could let me know, that'll be appreciated."

Bec could not have mentioned them all, but there are a lot more differences between Australian and American food cultures. She's a Brisbane-based Aussie in the US, so it makes sense that she would experience some culture shock.

In the video below, you can watch a Sydney-based American ex-pat discuss her time so far in Australia and compare Australian food to that of her home country.

Credit: Kinda Australian.​

 

[Neillec]

I found the same thing when I was in Canada a few years ago. There are federal taxes plus provincial taxes added to goods, and the provincial tax varies from province to province! You can never calculate how much the taxes will add to your bill. And don't get me started on tipping! By the way, entree is the term used for a main course in the UK too. It confused my chef brother when he visited us in Australia. I think maybe appetizer is the term for what we would call an entree.

 

[LH2022]

Re tipping in USA and Canada. Get your hair cut, or someone carries your bag, or get your nails done, or a massage, get a cab, or most services of any type, yep people have their hand out for a tip. It matters not what the service is, or how bad it might be, they just expect good tips. But you are not obligated to tip unless it is automatically added on before you get the bill. You need to be aware of that before the service is provided. It's quite ridiculous really. The customer is losing twice...paying for the food or service AND paying the employee's wages as well. The employer is winning all over, getting off almost scott free with not paying the employee's wages and having that pawned off on the customer. Do your research, phone the establishment before going there and ask about their 'rules'. If you don't agree, don't go there. Sadly in North America you may not be going anywhere then. Many Aussies don't know how lucky they have it.

 

[Ari]

I lived in New Orleans for 3 years and learned very quickly that TIPS = To Insure Prompt Service. This started years ago when returning customers 'paid in advance' to be treated as a special customer on their next visit. Unfortunately, this has snowballed and the TIPS do not only go to your waiter, it is all pooled, and at the end of the night, the water-person gets the lowest percentage, then your waiter/ess, maitre d', sous chef then the chef receives the highest percentage. It is still totally wrong that customers support their measly wages. Cannot understand why their restaurants go broke!

 

[PHW]

An Aussie health coach who visited America recently described how she struggled with the experience of ordering food there and how profoundly it differed from the experience of ordering food back home.

Bec Hardgrave, a resident of Brisbane, Queensland, took to TikTok on Thursday to vent her frustrations over the fact that she was required to pay taxes and a tip in addition to the "regular price" for food and drink purchases.

"Okay, so there are two things in America that blow my mind: tips and taxes. I'm still confused about the topic, but I'll try to explain it to you," she said in the clip.

"So basically, I'll go to a café and order an avocado on toast for $7, but it's not $7 because when you get to the cash register and pay for the avo on toast, it's $7 plus tax and a minimum tip of 18% to your waiter or waitress, even if they didn't talk to you."

"I probably sound like a jerk, but they literally ask for a tip wherever you go, even if the waiter is only pressing one button. It is mental. And because tax is not included, it comes as a complete surprise at the register," she added.

Bec Hardgrave talks about the most confusing difference between menus in the US and Australia. Credit: TikTok/@bechardgrave.​

The Goods and Services Tax (GST), which Australians pay on products, is much simpler to calculate because it is included in the final price before the product even reaches the shelves.

In contrast, taxes for food and drink purchases in America are added at the register. The waiters and waitresses must also rely on tips in order to make a living wage.

Following the discovery, her followers who are fellow Aussies expressed their shock and disbelief at how expensive the products had become after the tax and tip were added.

One woman wrote in the comments, "Do you really have to tip for takeout? I'm haunted by a memory of trying to tip for sushi to go in LA and they looked at me like I was nuts," while another user added, "We have it better in Australia, we don't realise until we go overseas the major difference between our country and other countries."

​

Aside from the payment differences, Bec also observed that whenever she dined out, the entrées she ordered were significantly larger than the main course that was served.

In countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand, a dish that is served prior to a more sizable main course is referred to as an entrée. But it seems that things are different in America.

According to one user who commented on Bec's video, Americans apparently call their main dishes the entrée, that is why they're massive. Because Bec was unaware of the difference in food terms and portion sizes, she was ordering main dishes all this time!

On one occasion, she placed an order for nachos with guacamole, sour cream, tomatoes, beans, and cheese. However, she was shocked to see the 'entrée' was actually the size of a huge plate that could easily feed two people.

"I'm very confused and my clothes no longer fit," she joked in the video. "I can't do my jeans up anymore so if someone could let me know, that'll be appreciated."

Bec could not have mentioned them all, but there are a lot more differences between Australian and American food cultures. She's a Brisbane-based Aussie in the US, so it makes sense that she would experience some culture shock.

In the video below, you can watch a Sydney-based American ex-pat discuss her time so far in Australia and compare Australian food to that of her home country.

Credit: Kinda Australian.​

"𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐱𝐞𝐬" is something we thoroughly dislike in the US. It's not a "tip" like what we thankfully volunteer to pay in (often poor) developing countries (like The Philippines) but a tax to be paid by law in (supposedly) one of the most advanced countries in the world. Otherwise, they can literally run after you as if you had left without paying!
- The right thing to do would be to add say 25% to the price of the toast (then going from $7 to $8.75) and clearly display $8.75 with no more to pay, end of the story. Is that so complicated for the Americans?
- An added complexity is that while the sales tax varies enormously from state to state, you may also be liable to pay an added county tax before effectively contributing to the salary of the workers. So, the end price can vary a lot for the same item in different parts of the country. And since the end price is not displayed anywhere (not even on a menu), how are you supposed to start comparing prices?
- That so-called "tip" is not even as useful as a "baksheesh", a gratuity, tip, or bribe paid to expedite service, especially in the Near and Middle East.

 

[Janice Reilly]

What is the translation of entrée?


An entrée (/ˈɒ̃treɪ/, US also /ɒnˈtreɪ/; French: [ɑ̃tʁe]) in modern French table service and that of much of the English-speaking world (apart from the United States and parts of Canada) is a dish served before the main course of a meal.

 

[PHW]

What is the translation of entrée?


An entrée (/ˈɒ̃treɪ/, US also /ɒnˈtreɪ/; French: [ɑ̃tʁe]) in modern French table service and that of much of the English-speaking world (apart from the United States and parts of Canada) is a dish served before the main course of a meal.

That's right because "entrée" in French means "entrance", like the entrance ("portico" in Italian) of a house. In this context, it is the entrance ("primo" in Italian) into the main dish ("secondo" in Italian). After the "teasing" of your appetite with appetizers ("antipasti" in Italian), you are typically served a light dish to slowly (no assault on the senses here) progress to the main course. The same idea is used in show business with presenters for example of a performance. The presenter is not meant to overshadow or overtake the performer. Like the "entrée", they are just facilitating the introduction to the main event, the main dish. This is really not rocket science either.

 

[PHW]

An Aussie health coach who visited America recently described how she struggled with the experience of ordering food there and how profoundly it differed from the experience of ordering food back home.

Bec Hardgrave, a resident of Brisbane, Queensland, took to TikTok on Thursday to vent her frustrations over the fact that she was required to pay taxes and a tip in addition to the "regular price" for food and drink purchases.

"Okay, so there are two things in America that blow my mind: tips and taxes. I'm still confused about the topic, but I'll try to explain it to you," she said in the clip.

"So basically, I'll go to a café and order an avocado on toast for $7, but it's not $7 because when you get to the cash register and pay for the avo on toast, it's $7 plus tax and a minimum tip of 18% to your waiter or waitress, even if they didn't talk to you."

"I probably sound like a jerk, but they literally ask for a tip wherever you go, even if the waiter is only pressing one button. It is mental. And because tax is not included, it comes as a complete surprise at the register," she added.

Bec Hardgrave talks about the most confusing difference between menus in the US and Australia. Credit: TikTok/@bechardgrave.​

The Goods and Services Tax (GST), which Australians pay on products, is much simpler to calculate because it is included in the final price before the product even reaches the shelves.

In contrast, taxes for food and drink purchases in America are added at the register. The waiters and waitresses must also rely on tips in order to make a living wage.

Following the discovery, her followers who are fellow Aussies expressed their shock and disbelief at how expensive the products had become after the tax and tip were added.

One woman wrote in the comments, "Do you really have to tip for takeout? I'm haunted by a memory of trying to tip for sushi to go in LA and they looked at me like I was nuts," while another user added, "We have it better in Australia, we don't realise until we go overseas the major difference between our country and other countries."

​

Aside from the payment differences, Bec also observed that whenever she dined out, the entrées she ordered were significantly larger than the main course that was served.

In countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand, a dish that is served prior to a more sizable main course is referred to as an entrée. But it seems that things are different in America.

According to one user who commented on Bec's video, Americans apparently call their main dishes the entrée, that is why they're massive. Because Bec was unaware of the difference in food terms and portion sizes, she was ordering main dishes all this time!

On one occasion, she placed an order for nachos with guacamole, sour cream, tomatoes, beans, and cheese. However, she was shocked to see the 'entrée' was actually the size of a huge plate that could easily feed two people.

"I'm very confused and my clothes no longer fit," she joked in the video. "I can't do my jeans up anymore so if someone could let me know, that'll be appreciated."

Bec could not have mentioned them all, but there are a lot more differences between Australian and American food cultures. She's a Brisbane-based Aussie in the US, so it makes sense that she would experience some culture shock.

In the video below, you can watch a Sydney-based American ex-pat discuss her time so far in Australia and compare Australian food to that of her home country.

Credit: Kinda Australian.​

𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐀 𝐯 𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐀 |𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬 | 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐲𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐲
I think it's all about the Australians being closer to the Europeans (via the British) and therefore having kept a higher level of sophistication than the US, and not just in the spelling, pronunciation or choice of available products in stores. A lot of it comes from French, particularly as far as food is concerned of course, for example, "profiterole" comes from the French word "profitérole", as they created that exact type of pastry.
Sophistication can also easily be seen with jam/preserve/conserve/jelly, "long-life milk" (i.e UHT milk with months of shelf life) compared to "fresh milk" (with only days of shelf life) in the fridges ("refrigerators") of the dairy section, the separation between lollies and chocolate (although the British/Australian "chocolates" are called "pralines" in French confectionary) and the numerous types of sugars available in shops.
For the spelling, pay by "cheque" (the French word is "chèque") becomes "check" and "herbs" is pronounced "erbs" in the US, showing again the tendency to simplify, to remove sophistication (although I wonder what becomes of "herbal" then, like in "herbal medicine"). An exception I noticed is that for meat (as in "fillet steak") the Americans say "fillet" (pronounced exactly as in French, like Chevrolet, ballet or buffet) while the Australians (and British) will pronounce the "t" at the end and say it (rather unexpectedly) like "bullet", something to remember when travelling (simplified to "traveling" in the US) throughout the Philippines where they use American English and "elevators" rather than simply "lifts".