The New York City taxi driver rolled his eyes at me. It was midnight, I'd just landed in the US from London, and it was raining.

"Sheesh lady," he said, begrudgingly handing over a $1 bill.

At the time, it was a flat fare of $49 for a taxi journey from JFK airport to Manhattan. I'd given him $50 and I was waiting for my change.

"How strange," I thought, that he wanted to keep the dollar change. Wasn't $49 enough for one taxi ride?

It was only the next morning when I told my friend about the scenario that I learned about "tipping cultures".

Tipping doesn't really exist in the UK. Ok, some pubs or bars might have a "tip jar", but it's not mandatory, and no one will think you're rude for not leaving a tip. It just isn't part of the culture. If anything, people with you might think you're trying to show off your wealth unnecessarily.

In fact, when I was working as a barmaid (post-university) I noticed after serving an American customer that she'd left her change on the bar. So I picked it up and gave it back to her at her table. She laughed, and I didn't work out why until years later when I realised that the coins had supposedly been a tip for me, for serving her.

I wonder what she must have thought of that simple English barmaid, who didn't understand what a tip was.

After a couple of meals in the Big Apple, I understood how it worked pile it high, sell it cheap and leave a big wad of notes for the waiting staff. Later on, the same New York friend told me that the bar job she was working in didn't even come with a salary, but she did get to keep all the tips left for her throughout the evening. This worked out to more than her salary would have been.

Peer pressure

So, having never really tipped before, when I moved to the UAE, I continued not to tip. Many of my friends expressed disgust when I waited for Dh2 change from the petrol pump attendant (which, I hasten to add, I no longer do) or refused to leave even Dh1 in a tip jar at a coffee shop.

I did try to justify this, by saying that the UK doesn't have a tipping culture, but amongst friends that all tip, it just didn't wash.

A lot of people, it seems, insist on leaving 10 per cent of the total of the bill for the waiting staff, as that's "the rule". However, this seems to be an unwritten rule. I generally (ok, this might seem stingey) don't really tip above Dh10. It just feels like too much. And if I just buy a coffee, then I don't tip at all: apart from the Costa Coffee at the petrol station in Tecom that is, as the guys there bring out your order to the car, while you're having it filled. Highly lazy.

Taxis here in Dubai also benefit from my loose change if the drivers try to give it back to me that is. If a taxi driver doesn't offer me my Dh3 change, then I insist on having it back that's just my principle.

I did a quick poll of my friends, and found that all of them tip in some way or another. But it does seem that all of them have their own rules. Some stick to the 10 per cent rule, others only leave the small change and some are happy to let others leave the tip altogether. I rarely get away without leaving anything at all. My friends and my conscience won't let me.