The Button on the Table — Epoche A1
Report: a lunch restaurant in Seoul Place: a soup restaurant near Jongno 3-ga station Time: Thursday, 1 p.m. On the edge of every table there is a round button. A new visitor sits and waits. The staff do not come. In Korea you press the button: a bell rings at the counter, and a waiter comes to that table. Nobody comes before the button. By the door stands a water machine with metal cups. A sign says: "Water is self." Everyone takes their own water. Paying is at the till, not at the table. There is no tip — the price on the menu is the whole price.