To be honest, I don't really know how you call somebody who polishes your shoes in English. The Spanish word is botanero and you can see one of them on the pic. They are quite common here and some time ago it was a notable job.
For me as a German it is still quite strange imagine having somebody polish your shoes. I would feel a bit bad because I don't want somebody "getting to his knees" in front of me.
But to be honest this is not the only service you get here and which seems a bit strange to me. There are people who wash your car. For 30 pesos (a bit more than 2 €) and many people tell them afterwards where they have to wash or polish again because their car doesn't shine enough.
Then, there are people on the carpark of the super market, for example, who "help" you getting into and out of your parking spot by blowing a whistle and making wild gestures. After your shopping they expect a little tip. And they are not there because Mexicans can't park (although...). Usually those people don't have a proper job and try to earn at least a little money by that. You should know something like a social system doesn't exist here although there are a few ways you get help from the state.
Something else which doesn't exist in Germany (and I guess the rest of Europe) any more: filling station attendants. Of course they expect a little tip, too.
There are people who don't do anything else but waving a red flag at the railroad crossing. To tell you, you can pass...
And the best (I saw it when I came to the internet café): People painting topes (humps to reduce your speed). Of course expecting a little tip for it when you pass.
4 comments:
Hi christian,
We usually call the people who polish your shoes a shoe shiner. there are still a few in the centre of sydney but not too common now days. about ten years ago there were more.
we also have people that wash your windscreen at the traffic lights or sell the paper at the lights for a few dollars.
well i'm glad your enjoying your last little while in mexico.
oh and trust your luck not to get a fine!! i can't complain as i haven't had one either but thats cause i'm a good driver!!! i don't get caught speeding!!!
love jess
Oh, there ARE filling station attendants in Europe: in IRELAND. Okay, they are not everywhere, but especially in the more desolated parts of the country. But they do not expect tips, this is just part of the service!
hmm, I always wondered, would it be the latin blood?... It is true, there are lots of old habits that are gone now from Romania, like the shoe polishing business, or paying to use scales and see in a park how much you weigh, but still some seem to have gone through transition and even improved: the parking tipping in the form you-pay-or-your-car-gets-damaged or the front-window-washing-at-traffic-light tipping.
However, there are some things tipical of Belgium/the Netherlands that I haven't actually seen before, like the club-bodyguard-before-you-leave tipping. I mean, ridiculous, they don't even keep the monkeys out. At least the others sort of do you a favour (protect your car or wash your window...)
The complexity and creativity of human nature...
Thaks for all your comments. It seems I still have to learn a lot about other countries!
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