DEAR ABBY: Am I a crank, or is it OK these days for waiters to become involved in diners' conversations and actually take over the conversation? At dinner last night, our waiter interrupted us three times and stayed at our table for more than five minutes taking over our conversation. It had nothing to do with the restaurant or our food -- it was about his travels and all the countries he’s been to and worked in. The last time he interrupted, we had finished eating and were talking. He talked for about 10 minutes. When he finally stopped to take a breath, I quickly said, “Well, let’s get going!” It wasn’t late and the restaurant was more than half empty. I had given him a 50% tip because it was a holiday, but after I thought about the intrusive service, I was sorry I did it. Any suggestions? -- BACK OFF OR YOUR TIP WILL SUFFER ...read more read less