We speak with Nina Martyris, a journalist who's written about the history of tipping in the United States, to find out how tipping—once deemed a "cancer in the breast of democracy"— went from being considered wholly un-American to becoming a deeply American custom. Throughline The Land of the Fee (2021) The Land of the Fee (2021) Listen · 44:45 44:45 Enlarge this image toggle caption bauhaus1000/Getty Images bauhaus1000/Getty Images Tipping is a norm in the United States—and it's always been controversial. We speak with Nina Martyris, a journalist who's written about the history of tipping in the United States, to find out how tipping—once deemed a "cancer in the breast of democracy"— went from being considered wholly un-American to becoming a deeply American custom.