Your Birthday?

[Jack Peterson]

8 minutes ago, craftbeerlover said:

hmmm its always been my experience (personally and observation), that the restaurant usually presents the bill to the foreigner. 

 Yes I have seen this and experienced this BUT I Give it ASAP to the Wife 

[JJReyes]

10 hours ago, Viking said:

I just wonder what would happen if you refused to pay for all the food that someone else had ordered?

You break social etiquette.  Similarly, if you don't show up for family celebrations, after a while, you are no longer invited.  

[JJReyes]

10 hours ago, craftbeerlover said:

hmmm its always been my experience (personally and observation), that the restaurant usually presents the bill to the foreigner. 

I will tell my wife.  Speaking to the wait staff in Tagalog makes me a local.  So maybe they give her the bill being the foreigner.  Looking at local families at a restaurant, it's a woman scanning the bill.  By the way, it took some time to stop saying, "Check please."  The correct word is, "Bill." or you make a rectangular gesture with your fingers.

[Mike J]

13 hours ago, hk blues said:

Not sure where to post this but this is the 2nd time in 2 days it's happened so maybe a system error -

Jack's post above shows he was quoting a post of mine but in actual fact it was another poster who posted the quoted comment.   

That  happened because @Jack Peterson used a quote from within your post which contained a quote from @JJReyes original post.  Hope that makes sense.   

[Mike J]

50 minutes ago, JJReyes said:

I will tell my wife.  Speaking to the wait staff in Tagalog makes me a local.  So maybe they give her the bill being the foreigner.  Looking at local families at a restaurant, it's a woman scanning the bill.  By the way, it took some time to stop saying, "Check please."  The correct word is, "Bill." or you make a rectangular gesture with your fingers.

Also, if you need the wait staff to come to the table the proper non-verbal way to motion them is a scooping motion with the fingers pointed down.  Never call them over with the fingers pointed up (like calling a player from the field)!  The first is a polite request, the second can be considered rude and demeaning.  Most forum members probably already know this, but just in case. 

[JJReyes]

30 minutes ago, Mike J said:

Also, if you need the wait staff to come to the table the proper non-verbal way to motion them is a scooping motion with the fingers pointed down.  Never call them over with the fingers pointed up (like calling a player from the field)!  The first is a polite request, the second can be considered rude and demeaning.  Most forum members probably already know this, but just in case. 

One more unique to the Philippines phrase I have encountered is, "Close table."  It means everyone has finished and it's time to clear.  Any leftovers will be wrapped, and the bill presented.  Otherwise, the waiter assumes someone may continue to eat even when the bill is requested.   

I notice that the tapping with fingers on the table while dining is gaining popularity.  In Hong Kong, the gesture means "Thank You" to your waiter without interrupting your ongoing conversation.  I asked my sister about it since she worked for many years in Hong Kong and still has permanent resident status.  She laughed and said, "No.  It's a status thing to let others know you have travelled overseas."

 

[hk blues]

5 hours ago, JJReyes said:

You break social etiquette.  Similarly, if you don't show up for family celebrations, after a while, you are no longer invited.  

Sounds great - save a fortune! 

 

 

[hk blues]

5 hours ago, Mike J said:

That  happened because @Jack Peterson used a quote from within your post which contained a quote from @JJReyes original post.  Hope that makes sense.   

I understand your words but not the logic of them! 

 

[Viking]

6 hours ago, JJReyes said:

You break social etiquette.  Similarly, if you don't show up for family celebrations, after a while, you are no longer invited.  

Yes I understand that the social etiquette will be broken. I was more thinking of who will pick up the bill? You refuse because you didn't order it, and the one who did order it probably can't afford to pay it?

My experience from many "partys" is that there's no invitations. People just show up and when asking who they were, you find out they were a friend of a friend to your cousins former neighbours, or something similar, hahaha.

[stevewool]

9 hours ago, JJReyes said:

You break social etiquette.  Similarly, if you don't show up for family celebrations, after a while, you are no longer invited.  

I must have broke it the first week I arrived in the Philippines, I’m a great believer in sharing the bill , and yes some cannot afford to pay as much as others but you must put something in , then maybe give it back to those people later but out of site from the others