To a hammer, everything is a nail. To some people, everything is the fault of cars. I find this broken record to be uncompelling and tiresome.
> It has bad community culture of all sorts.
On this I agree. The irony is that rural America, highly dependent on cars, has, imho and experience, radically stronger community than dense urban centers!
When it comes to food I'm far more inclined to blame the economics. American restaurants try to get as many patrons in and out as possible. Clear that table and get the next guest in. This is just as true in SF and NYC as suburbia. TBH I genuinely do not understand how the economics of restaurants in Japan and Paris work. I've been to both and when I look at the prices, patrons, and staff I don't get it.
If there is any root cause to the woes of America it's probably the cost of land/housing/real estate. The monthly lease for a half decent commercial space is so astronomical there's no option but to cycle as many patrons through as possible.
> On this I agree. The irony is that rural America, highly dependent on cars, has, imho and experience, radically stronger community than dense urban centers!
This isn't particularly true. There's been many writings on the 'loneliness epidemic' that hits the hardest in the rural parts of America, where people die of drug abuse or alcohol or health issues alone and ignored. The community effort fully coalesces around the religious experience, but sharply ends after Sunday for most people. It's been noted multiple times over that Americans generally trust eachother lower than ever, the amount of close friends has gone down and more.
This is before we get into the community dynamics of rural communities being very exclusive towards certain groups of people.
I think it's important to separate rural and suburbia.
I agree that the sense of community can be high in rural areas. People who live there can be very strongly rooted in the place.
Depopulation is taking its toll though.
> It has bad community culture of all sorts.
On this I agree. The irony is that rural America, highly dependent on cars, has, imho and experience, radically stronger community than dense urban centers!
When it comes to food I'm far more inclined to blame the economics. American restaurants try to get as many patrons in and out as possible. Clear that table and get the next guest in. This is just as true in SF and NYC as suburbia. TBH I genuinely do not understand how the economics of restaurants in Japan and Paris work. I've been to both and when I look at the prices, patrons, and staff I don't get it.
If there is any root cause to the woes of America it's probably the cost of land/housing/real estate. The monthly lease for a half decent commercial space is so astronomical there's no option but to cycle as many patrons through as possible.