i've been to the santa clara, great america parkway ihop at least twice in my life. neither time was my experience that bad... but then again... now as i think about it, i realise that they weren't that great either. you know, maybe you're right, emilia! the last time i was there, i was on a double date with my wife and another couple from our church grx (Great exchange covenant church). grx is a great church, and you ought to check it out. if you don't attend church; yeah, check it out. there's something to be said about finding salvation through belief in a holy saviour rather than just trying to earn or buy your way into heaven. anyway, dude... off topic. ihop... the food, i found to be fine. i didn't have any raw, uncooked food. nor was it served in a strange or awkward manner. i enjoyed my whole grain pancakes. one thing that irked me well was how the menu told me i could add a side of ham for just a little more. well, apparently, their definition of "just a little more" is $2.99. argh! well, i noticed that a las vegas ihop charges $3.29 for a side of ham. crazy, eh?
well, when it came time to pay the bill, the other couple said that we should tip well cos our server was really good. well, my wife and i got there late. maybe he was really nice before we got there; but, while i was eating, 'twas quite impossible to get refills on my decaf coffee. still, i made sure we tipped ok.
the tip system is quite messed up. you see, i know in america and perhaps elsewhere, servers have this prejudice that people of asian ethnicity are bad tippers. i hate that kind of racism. however, in order to fight it i don't have any choice but to tip extra well... even for bad service. basically, it's extortion: "if you don't tip well, i'm going to tell everyone that your people / your race tips poorly and are a bunch of cheapskates and thus deserve to be portrayed poorly in films, tv, on the radio, and in print media."
anyway, silicon valley: you're the _real_ heartland of america. keep it real, keep skatin', and rock on!
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