The one cultural peculiarity that really bothers me in the US is their quasi-exclusive use of imperial units of measures.

One other thing which is fairly specific to the US is expensive, time consuming hobbies - rocketry, catapults, various arts and crafts, cooking, barbecuing, re-enactment, etc...  It's very specific to the US.

What about the aboriginals.

*  free housing
*  first preference for run-of-mill jobs
*  free cars
*  are able to hunt undersized and highly protected animals/fish with no quota limits
-

When you buy them a house, the first thing they do is rip out all the windows and burn all the floor boards. When their cars break down in the outback they leave it on the side of the road and burn it, later they go to Social Security and get a brand new one. They get complete help from the government because they have terrible trouble adapting to modern day life, it's like trying to put ancient cave men in modern day cities, it doesn't work.

An upperclass English couple once tried taking a bunch of aboriginals under their wing, but they couldn't take the caveman mentality out of the lads. Despite the luxury they still preferred to sleep outside and go on two year walkabouts.

<------Sarcasm, mate.

You can barbecue inside, too. A big plumbing issue in the projects over here is the tenants barbecuing in tubs. you cant make this shit up.

Ah, another cultural marker of the US is the huge number of people who contribute material time and work to some not-for-profit endeavor - city park cleaning, charities, school projects, it's everywhere.  Also typical of the US: large endowments to charities & foundations.

No it's different.  People volunteer time to clean up Central Park; more than 50% of the work is done by volunteers.  That's not directly for the opportunities to meet someone.  There's a social component of course.  As for the rich endowments, it's a way to establish a legacy I suppose.  The motivation exists all over the world, but the way it's done in the US is different.

I'm all for hobbies - I used to hand file knives in my apartment.  It's just that it is a cultural marker of the US.  I think it comes from a combination of wealth and entrepreneurship - good things. 

I make a pretty good bbq approximation in the oven.  It's nowhere as good as a proper one (no smoke), but it's better than nothing at all.  Pork shoulder + marinade + dry rub + v. low heat X 10+ hours = pretty good food.  I guess I could try adding some mesquite chips.  I know you can smoke steaks on the stove top using mesquite chips.  Not sure the ventilation would take it though.

Last edited by The_Shooman (2010-12-21 08:51:00)