美语词汇掌故第 35 课：Money, Money, Money: Dinner Is on the House-3

Yet, I am not poor either. When I go out with friends, I do not want to shell out or pay a lot of money.

Often, my friends and I will chip in or pay jointly for a fun night out.

When we go to restaurants the meal is Dutch treat. Each person pays his or her own share.

Once, the owner of a restaurant gave us a dinner on the house. We did not have to pay for our meals.

However, I admit that we had to grease someone's palm. We had to pay money to the employee who led us to our table.

The money was for a special request. Yes, it was a buy off. The employee put us at the top of the list for a table instead of making us wait like everyone else.

We had a great time that night and the meal did not set me back at all. I did not have to pay anything.

Because of that experience, I will always remember that nice things still happen in a world that is driven by money.

But, that is just my two cents worth. It is just my opinion.