Who should pay?

[unitedplanetcap]

Hi,

I am Susie. I was reading a travel guide when i stumbled upon something I thought was very interesting and would like to start a discussion about.

Social Etiquette: Who should pay the dinner/drinks bill?

Some things are good to know beforehand, such as who pays for what when you go out as a group. Who knows, depending on the group you go out with, you might end up having to pay for everyone's meal.

In the US, often times when you go out in a group for a meal/drinks, the bill is split evenly or each person pays for their own orders. (Don't forget to tip the server!) I like this system. Most of the time it works well for me.

In many other cultures, this is a very different story.

For example, in China, most often when the bill comes you will see men fighting to pay the bill. Various strategies are used, some literally throw money at the cashier. I remember when my father had dinner with his friends in Chinatown, New York, they literally fought/shouted at each other trying to pay the bill. (That did scared some Americans nearby. Who thought they were arguing...)

This might sound very strange, why would anyone try so hard to pay for a whole group of people. This has to do with the concept of saving/gaining face. In a country, where how you appear to your peers is a critical part of life, people feel pressured to appear generous (of course, many of them are truly generous at heart).

In Japan, it is another story, splitting the bill is not traditionally done. If you go out to dine with your boss or someone older than you, it is almost expected that they will pick up the bill. Sometimes with a crowd of younger people, the bill is split-based on seniority with the seniors paying the larger portion and younger members paying less.

What is it like in your country? What is expected?