For those who follow the adventures of my Israeli pal Snoopy the Goon and wonder where he’s gotten to the last few days, he’s in the outback of Australia with the Mrs, about 800 km from Brisbane.
“We are in Australia with our daughter, gallivanting in the boonies and photographing birds and other animals. I hope we’ll survive the experience – the regime reminds most of all an army boot camp, the chiefs are really fanatics of bird photography.
“The country is amazing in all respects, wildlife being only one of them. It appears that Australia is a nanny state second to none. A lot of rules, regulations etc. Cigarettes, for instance, are not on display in the places that sell them, the procedure is somewhat furtive, like buying narcotics…
“…and here is another curious item: the tipping in restaurants and other situations is not a done thing here. I am not a sociologist, but the result is terrible service in the restaurants. At least this is an obvious one. Slow, mix-up with orders, no attention to the timing of the dishes etc. During a breakfast in a similarly upscale eatery one of our group didn’t get his order at all, in spite of the waiter been reminded twice. When our guide went to complain, he was told that the kitchen is ‘very busy’!
“We were told that the waiters’ salaries are good enough so they don’t rely on tips. You can easily deduce the result.”
For more of Mr. Goon’s inimitable style, try his blog Simply Jews where friends are holding down the fort in his absence.
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 