Captain Birdseye wrote: "no, its a question of cultures merging,should I refuse and say,youcant give me money[because we English think its not culturally acceptable] but you can buy me a drink].
then I have to be careful of the amount of drink, coffee or alcohol,I take in case it adversely affects my performance".

It's not really about 'cultures merging' though. The issue/relevancy of tipping in America is born out of a particular reasoning that doesn't really exist in this country. Yes, I think everyone wants to rewarded/renumerated more for what they do for a living, but the tipping thing in America is there to offset something else entirely. It seems as if you want the tipping side, but probably not the reason why tipping is actually seen as a necessity for some people.


"if the performer has signed a contract for a fee,it is irrelevant if some well meaning person gives the performer a VOLUNTARY present.
the best busking present I was given was abook of sea shanties".

The more I read this, the more your thinking just seems to be born out of a need for some kind of token of appreciation, to be honest.