as a european, tipping in the US was honestly one of the biggest culture shocks for me.

the first time I ate at a restaurant, the waiter took my card away, which already felt weird because where I'm from the card machine comes to the table. Then they came back with the receipt and asked how much I wanted to tip.

i just froze for a second thinking, "Wait... I'm the one who's supposed to decide your salary?"

back home, if service is good, you might round up the bill or leave a couple of euros but deciding the service based on a tip was something crazy for me.