3 ms·

Why do Americans have so big cars then? Seeing the cars was most shocking thing for me when visiting US.

bee_rider 3y ago
Lower population density and bad zoning means the trip to the grocery store is farther, so you only want to go once every week or two. So, you get a bigger car, to fit more groceries and a bigger fridge for the same reason. Then, some stupid person fills their car completely with groceries, can’t see out the back window, and backs into you. So, you get a still bigger car, so they can’t possibly help but see you, and then you crash into them, and it goes back and forth until we are driving around in these land-ships.
- cassepipe 3y ago
  An evolutionary arm race then Funny but it seems more complicated : https://youtu.be/oOttvpjJvAo?si=1KfRQYKZLdg4d5Bo https://youtu.be/oOttvpjJvAo?si=1KfRQYKZLdg4d5Bo
- laeri 3y ago
  It actually makes sense to own a larger car and fridge in this case. I wouldn't have thought about this as I usually go once or twice a day to the grocery store and just buy what I currently need as the grocery is on my way to work (walking distance).
- michaelt 3y ago
  > you only want to go once every week or two How are y'all getting decent bread and milk?
  - cqqxo4zV46cp 3y ago
    There’s a hilarious Reddit post I always come back to, where an American was pining for a delicious loaf of bread that he bought on a whim in Australia. Said it was the best bread he’s ever had. Fresh, tasty, nothing like what he had back home. After some prodding by the commenters it became evident that it was a standard loaf of supermarket-brand white bread. But it’s still better than the ‘it’s just a crappy cake’ bread that he was used to in the US. Now Australia’s food quality is pretty damn good compared to most other countries, but it’s just as much if not more of an indication that the average quality of food in the US is abysmal. From the week or so I’ve spent in the US, in a major coastal city, as a ‘rich’ person seeking good food, I’ve gotta say that this is my belief. So in short I don’t think that many Americans are getting decent bread.
  - thfuran 3y ago
    They probably aren't getting decent bread. Grocery store bread is mostly crap and/or ridiculously overpriced (like $6 for a mid-sized loaf of 'brioche' with more sugar than butter), and bakeries are much less common than grocery stores.
  - marcosdumay 3y ago
    Not from the US or Europe, but I buy fresh bread and store it frozen. It comes back quite well.
  - bee_rider 3y ago
    A friend nearby got into making bread during the pandemic. Before that, I’d have decent bread for a day or two after shopping and then sandwich bread. American milk is very pasteurized and might last a month before being opened. But I think I’m mildly lactose intolerant anyway, can’t stand the stuff.
  - jeromegv 3y ago
    Freezer for bread and there’s hardly a need to drink cow milk regularly.

Lower population density and bad zoning means the trip to the grocery store is farther, so you only want to go once every week or two. So, you get a bigger car, to fit more groceries and a bigger fridge for the same reason. Then, some stupid person fills their car completely with groceries, can’t see out the back window, and backs into you. So, you get a still bigger car, so they can’t possibly help but see you, and then you crash into them, and it goes back and forth until we are driving around in these land-ships.

cassepipe 3y ago
An evolutionary arm race then Funny but it seems more complicated : https://youtu.be/oOttvpjJvAo?si=1KfRQYKZLdg4d5Bo https://youtu.be/oOttvpjJvAo?si=1KfRQYKZLdg4d5Bo
laeri 3y ago
It actually makes sense to own a larger car and fridge in this case. I wouldn't have thought about this as I usually go once or twice a day to the grocery store and just buy what I currently need as the grocery is on my way to work (walking distance).
michaelt 3y ago
> you only want to go once every week or two How are y'all getting decent bread and milk?
- cqqxo4zV46cp 3y ago
  There’s a hilarious Reddit post I always come back to, where an American was pining for a delicious loaf of bread that he bought on a whim in Australia. Said it was the best bread he’s ever had. Fresh, tasty, nothing like what he had back home. After some prodding by the commenters it became evident that it was a standard loaf of supermarket-brand white bread. But it’s still better than the ‘it’s just a crappy cake’ bread that he was used to in the US. Now Australia’s food quality is pretty damn good compared to most other countries, but it’s just as much if not more of an indication that the average quality of food in the US is abysmal. From the week or so I’ve spent in the US, in a major coastal city, as a ‘rich’ person seeking good food, I’ve gotta say that this is my belief. So in short I don’t think that many Americans are getting decent bread.
- thfuran 3y ago
  They probably aren't getting decent bread. Grocery store bread is mostly crap and/or ridiculously overpriced (like $6 for a mid-sized loaf of 'brioche' with more sugar than butter), and bakeries are much less common than grocery stores.
- marcosdumay 3y ago
  Not from the US or Europe, but I buy fresh bread and store it frozen. It comes back quite well.
- bee_rider 3y ago
  A friend nearby got into making bread during the pandemic. Before that, I’d have decent bread for a day or two after shopping and then sandwich bread. American milk is very pasteurized and might last a month before being opened. But I think I’m mildly lactose intolerant anyway, can’t stand the stuff.
- jeromegv 3y ago
  Freezer for bread and there’s hardly a need to drink cow milk regularly.