Before Returning to Asia, My Last Meal in Boston Included a 15% Tip

Throwback to the final stop of my July East Coast trip—a meal at an Italian restaurant in Boston's historic North End 🍝 Honestly, many American restaurants feel like small museums, with their dim, vintage decor and walls covered in "seemingly artistic" knickknacks 🤔 But I have to admit, dining here does put you in a different mood—less of that "gobbling feed" rush. The ambiance does kind of justify part of the tip, I guess 🤷‍♀️ Since it was my last meal before leaving, I went all out and ordered the daily specialty—a seafood platter 🐟 Gotta eat something fresh in a port city like Boston! It looked simple when it arrived: salmon, squid rings, shrimp + breadcrumbs, but the flavor was good and it filled me up. Then came the service ritual… An older gentleman who seemed like management came over to chat—the classic "justify the rest of the tip" move 😂 Honestly, small talk like this feels unnecessary to me, but it's just American culture—when in Rome, right? 😮‍💨 The bill came to $40, and with a heavy heart, I left a $6 tip—a full 15%! 👍 But deep down it still stung, and I couldn't help calculating: how many plates of chicken rice does this equal? 😵‍💫 (Currently 1 chicken rice ≈ 5 SGD ≈ 3.88 USD) #USA #Boston #BostonEats #BostonFoodDiscovery #ItalianFood #ItalianRestaurant #BostonTravel