Hard disagree. One of my earliest memories is my parents having breakfast that consisted of coffee and a cloud of smoke. If by puritanical we understand the mor

Hard disagree. One of my earliest memories is my parents having breakfast that consisted of coffee and a cloud of smoke. If by puritanical we understand the mores inherited by Americans from Puritans then this absolutely qualifies. Unless the goal is to make the sentence palatable to Americans only, it could be understood as editing to make sure the author's point is preserved, but otherwise it is merely hiding what some believe life "should" look like.