>> ... Hmm, that may explain why the waiters in Denmark always smile to me. In stead of admitting that I don't have a clue about how much I shall pay, I maybe give them too much tips. Or they give me too little change back. I'll try to be more alter the next time I go there!
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>There was a well-known author - I have forgotten his name - who claimed that he managed a similar situation (paying for a taxi, or the equivalent of that time, outside of his home town) as follows: He carried with him a bag with many small coins. When the time came to pay, he slowly put one coin after another into the hand of the taxi-driver, observing his face. If the taxi-driver smiled, he quickly withdrew the last penny.

Ha-ha, that's a good one!