Why Do We Tip And Are We Doing It Wrong? You Might Be Surprised.

Did you know that in 43 states it’s legal to pay waitstaff as little as $2.13 an hour?

I didn’t and neither did Raj Punjabi, my co-host on “Am I Doing It Wrong? ,” HuffPost’s new podcast that explores the all-too-human anxieties we have about trying to get our lives right.

We wondered what else we don’t know about the wild and often contentious world of tipping and if we might be screwing up every time we come face to face with the tip line on a receipt or a touch screen.

So we did what we’ve recently started doing whenever we suspect we could learn a thing or 12 about something we — and probably lots of people — might be getting wrong: We asked for some help. 

Thankfully, HuffPost senior reporter Monica Torres agreed to chat with us about all the ins and outs of tipping, how and why it started in America, and what we should be thinking about and doing when we tip — or don’t:

After you’ve had a listen above or wherever you get your podcasts , subscribe to “Am I Doing It Wrong?” so you never miss an episode. Each week we’ll tackle a new topic — from apologizing to grocery shopping to online dating and lots more — in hopes of figuring out how we — and you — can do just about everything a little better. 

Need some help with something you’ve been doing wrong? Email us at amidoingitwrong@huffpost.com and we might choose it as a topic for an upcoming episode.