[thedaemon]

>I don't know the realities of the weird city life Americans experience, but the places I've lived in Europe make this trivial.

I have lived in poor rural America. Here is some information for you that might help: There are no forms of public transportation. You are required to own your own car or have someone drive you. Work is usually 1 hour or more away. The grocery store is usually 30 minutes to 1 hour away. There are usually fast food restaurants within a few miles. Don't forget that America is gigantic in area and very spread out in the rural areas. However after telling you this, when I was a child we did go grocery shopping and ate things like crock pot roast beef and hamburger helper.