There are certain things in life that I take for granted, things that I grew up with, and things that make sense in context of the environment in which I live in. When I moved to Germany, things were, of course, different. So I reverted into a three year old and incessantly asked--why?
Now the things that I have seen here and the things I want to ask of you, my American readers, are specific to the West Coast/Vegas. Now I ask, why?
--are there so many freeways here? Seriously, highway built upon highway. And more highways, even to just get to the next town. Manila has them out of necessity. I have seen exactly one flyover in Germany, and that is in Berlin.
--are you so wasteful on gas and drive everywhere? Even in San Francisco, which has good public transport infrastructure? It's the reason why everybody is so obese. They all eat normally here, but exercise less, and spend so much time in their cars, driving around. I swear, the traffic in LA is not normal for the size of their freeways. In Germany, that kind of traffic only happens there in the Ruhrgebeit and the Main area, or during holidays.
--do you hate vegetables?
--are your cities so spread out? The suburbs here are so far from the center, and the government doesn't even bother building a public transportation network.
--would you drive around for thirty minutes to find a parking spot near the door/establishment? Don't you think that's a waste in gas?
--is In N Out the best burger in town? It is just a burger. Definitely better than what passes for hamburgers in Germany, though. But In N Out fries rock.
--are your cars so huge?
--do you watch TV all the time? Don't you guys have a life?
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5 comments:
Some of these are reasons I'm iffy on going back. I don't really know the answers but I'll try to guess some:
* Why so many freeways: Because everyone drives so there's a lot of traffic, but no one wants to sit in traffic, so they build more roads.
* Why drive everywhere? Because transit is not very good, it's faster to drive. Transit also has a bad rep in many places as being just for poor people who can't afford cars, and that doesn't help encourage people to take it. The car is a symbol of being a responsible, independent adult. Because these have long been the norm in the US, accessibility of most places without a car is pretty low.
* Do you hate vegetables? Vegetables do not have salt, fat, or sugar in enticing amounts! Plus in the US everything's eaten out of season and shipped really far so many people have never tasted a vegetable at its actual peak of flavor.
* Cities so spread out: I think anyone given the opportunity to have some more personal space would take it, and since the US has space, people take it. I think that explains the big spaces in residential areas. As for why banks and clinics and restaurants have enormous green lawns that serve no purpose, that one is beyond me.
Cars so huge: Most people argue they need all that space to haul things. Like all the large stuff you can buy at Sam's or Costco.
TV all the time: Escapism because they don't get enough vacation.
First time visiting the U.S., hmm?
Why yes, and the ambition of the US to be great impresses me. It is evident everywhere.. Oh, and another question: What is with all of the alarms? Is it because the doors are flimsy and a lot of the houses poorly built?
I don't think the houses are that poorly built (although most Germans would disagree out of habit). Rather, I think that alarms--also on cars--are just one way that some Americans deal with existential fears in an unpredictable world. Much like the defense that many people give for carrying handguns. Germans do the same when they buy insurance policies on any conceivable thing or when they yell at people on the street because they aren't following the rules.
While the doors are usually pretty much ok, and the houses are poorly built, the alarms are because of paranoia. Alarm companies run ads on TV where houses are always broken into unless you have that company's product. In truth, the crime rate isn't that bad.
The houses are spread out because people think they want their own acre (or more) of land -- in reality they often then go to the big city cores and use public services that they haven't paid the taxes to support and then complain when the core city library doesn't have the book they want.
Never been to In N Out--it's a California (and vegas?) thing. I would guess the best burger in America is somewhere where cattle are raised -- certainly not California.
I'd answer more, but CN did a lot already...
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