Talk about "food, clothing, housing and transportation" in the United States (1)

Although human nature is universal, it is true that there are differences between races. This difference is not only reflected in cultural history, but also in basic lifestyles. Most Chinese people who study and live in the United States may have this experience. No matter how friendly they are with Americans, it is still not enough to live together and share the same roof. This is mainly because the lifestyles are different and there are too many inconveniences in living together.

Here, based on my own experience, I will briefly talk about how the basic life in the United States is different from ours.

1. Clothes

Everyone knows how Americans dress, very casually (note). Denim jeans are very popular. There are popular styles and colors every year, but Americans generally pay more attention to their own personal preferences and are far less likely to pursue fashion than Orientals.

Although Americans generally do not pay attention to dressing fashionably, working-class people still pay attention to dressing up. Five days a week for ladies, they generally have to change once a day. I don’t know much about the men, and I can’t remember who dresses differently every day, but the important people who represent the company’s image still need to be well-dressed. Dress up is usually done on some formal and important occasions (such as certain jobs, job interviews, weddings, funerals or church gatherings, etc.). Some companies and stores will directly stipulate dress codes ("dressing essentials"). When dressing up, jeans are usually discarded.

American fashion is generally "cheap and high-quality": many famous brands are not expensive compared with the current prices in China, but the quality is definitely acceptable. During off-season periods like Black Friday and after Christmas, stores have discounts and designer fashions can be as cheap as tens of dollars. It seems that now there are more and more wealthy people in China, and many tourists from the mainland are very surprised by the "cheap" brand-name goods.

One thing worth mentioning is that Westerners and Chinese have different traditions in terms of sexual appeal. "Exposure" is basically a woman's right, while men pay attention to "closure." Showing off the shoulders and waist is a "universal technique" for women to express themselves in summer, but men, no matter how hot it is, must at least wear a shirt. I remember that when Chinese people used to cool off at night in the summer, many men would naturally go topless. This has become a very unsightly thing in the United States. Even at home, men rarely go topless. Not only is it not allowed to be topless casually, but even wearing a vest is disrespectful to others. From this point of view, Western culture encourages women to be naturally sexy and requires more dignity from men. If a man is too exposed to his body, he is often misunderstood as a homosexual.

Speaking of dressing up, we have to mention American hair. Americans (especially women) pay great attention to makeup. You won’t go out to meet people without putting on makeup (I rarely see women without makeup). In the entire makeup process, head posture can be said to be the most important. Americans' hair comes in a variety of colors, but many women still want to dye it according to their own preferences.

In short, I personally admire the way Americans dress: not fashionable, affordable, and very spirited.

2. Food

American food is very different from Chinese food. Sweet, raw, cold, and high in protein, it makes many Chinese people’s “patriotic stomachs” suffer. I just came to the United States. As soon as I entered the supermarket, I bought a candy stick similar to Chinese peanut candy. I put it in my mouth and threw it up quickly after taking two mouthfuls. It was too sweet! Breathtakingly sweet! I have never eaten anything so sweet in my life! From then on, I almost never touched sweets in the United States.

The variety of products in American supermarkets is dazzling. But the variety of vegetables still seems to be inferior to China, especially not as good as my hometown of Sichuan. American vegetables are generally like tall Westerners, and everything is one size larger than Chinese vegetables. The most popular vegetable is lettuce. There are several types of lettuce, with slightly different shapes and colors, but similar tastes. Lettuce is the king of vegetables in the United States. It is a "real" lettuce that is never processed or cooked: it must be eaten raw. I once recommended my "homemade" tofu and fish soup to an American friend. At the end, I just threw lettuce into the soup. The American shouted "No!": You are ruining such fresh green vegetables! In addition to lettuce, tomatoes, celery, and mushrooms are also very popular vegetables. Since most vegetables are eaten raw, they are inevitably "cold". The salads purchased at the restaurant are straight from the refrigerator.

Meat is also abundant, and Americans like to eat high-protein meat. Chicken is the "cheapest" food, cheaper than vegetables, and it's everywhere. Steak, chicken and seafood are probably the most popular meat products. Americans generally don't like to eat pork, and mutton is a less popular one. Never eat duck and rabbit meat as these are classified as pets. Of course, there is also a distinction between high and low pets. The most favored dog cannot even be mentioned, not to mention "eating". It is almost the same as "eating people".

Fruits are generally larger and sweeter than those in China. Apples, bananas, oranges, watermelons, grapes, etc. are basically the same as those in China, especially all kinds of "berries": strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, etc., which are rich in nutrients and very healthy. What deserves "criticism" is the pears, which are as soft as peaches after peeling. Unable to eat. Neither are American peaches.

Of course, most of China’s local specialties can be purchased in Chinese supermarkets.

Therefore, Chinese people in the United States can still "do it themselves and have enough food and clothing."

Food prices in the United States are very low. When I first came here, I felt like everything was cheap. A whole roasted chicken is on sale for just $3. Bananas now only cost about 50 cents a pound (the more I write, the more obscure they become). However, the economy has declined in the past two years. At the beginning, oil prices soared, and then gradually affected the food industry. Most prices are now more than one or two times more expensive than before. Most of the foods in supermarkets are artificially cultivated, and the prices of natural foods (organic) are much higher.

There is a government organization in the United States called the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is responsible for inspecting the safety and quality of food and drugs. All food put on the shelves must have passed the inspection of this organization. Therefore, American food is generally very safe and reliable.

Let’s briefly talk about American restaurants. American restaurants are generally clean, quiet, and have very good service. Americans generally go through several formalities when eating: first, they give you a recipe to order, and at the same time, they give you water. There are generally several different courses to order: soup, appetizer, meal, and dessert. Dessert is served after the main meal is finished. I guess this is how Americans gain weight.

McDonald's and KFC are not called "restaurants" in the strict sense in the United States, but fast food restaurants, which are notorious cheap "junk food" and are eaten most by people in the middle and lower classes ( These are also the people who gain weight).

It may be related to religion and the characteristics of a car country. The United States is a country that restricts drinking. Each state has different regulations on alcohol. In some states, supermarkets cannot sell wine, and in some states, they do not sell wine after a certain time in the evening. No more selling wine. etc. Even so, American (Western) wines are really diverse and complicated to make, and bartending is even more sophisticated. The names of various cocktails are also complicated and imaginative. I'm not an expert, so I won't go into details.

We Chinese are generally proud of our food culture and feel that Westerners are not as particular about "eating" as we are. In fact, I personally think this is a misunderstanding. Americans may not be as particular about taste as the Chinese, but they also pay attention to some other factors: cleanliness, nutrition, and science. etc.

Speaking of clean, this is something to write home about. American kitchens are as clean as bedrooms. I remember a former American friend of mine who kept her house extremely tidy at all times. What surprised me most was that her kitchen, stove, and tableware all looked like the ones she had just bought. Since she was single, she probably didn’t have many tableware, but the cabinet on the stove actually contained books! Of course, being so clean has a lot to do with the way Americans cook. They generally don't use very hot oil for cooking. The cooking methods are mostly boiling and mixing. Even if you want to fry, use less oil or cold oil.

By the way, although our Chinese cooking is famous all over the world, its "dirty" side is still almost as "famous". From time to time, I hear that Chinese restaurants fail health inspections. In daily life, the hygiene of kitchens in Chinese homes also makes Americans "stark".

Americans not only pay attention to cleanliness, but also pay great attention to tableware. They are definitely not like the Chinese who "conquer the world" with a knife and a pair of chopsticks. The variety, complexity, and precision of tableware can sometimes make the kitchen look like a science laboratory. There are some specialized tableware stores in the mall, which are also dizzying.

Slightly more educated families in the United States pay great attention to scientific diet. This is probably because they attach great importance to appearance and beauty and never allow themselves to gain weight. It may be a bit exaggerated to say that one can tell the class of Americans from their appearance, but it is probably true.

In short, the food culture in the United States is still very developed, but it is not quite in line with the appetite of us Chinese. There are still many authentic Chinese restaurants in big cities, but in outstate areas, you can only rely on yourself to get authentic Chinese food.

3. Living

Many Chinese people come to the United States for two things: housing and cars. These are two real benefits. People who make a name for themselves in the United States will eventually find that although they don’t have many social activities and spiritual life, taking a few photos of their houses and cars and sending them home, or sharing them online, is a bit "worthwhile" feel.

Speaking of "living", this should be a project that Americans are very proud of. The land is vast and sparsely populated, so there is plenty of space to build houses. I remember that several Chinese people from mainland China came to the company where I used to work. They found that there were not many high-rise buildings as they imagined here, and they found it strange. In fact, it is not surprising that there are not many high-rise buildings in the United States. Except in big cities such as New York and Chicago, the natural landscapes you see the most are: trees in the east, endless trees, and wilderness areas in the Midwest. In these places, most of the homes and commercial buildings are bungalows or shorter buildings, and high-rise buildings are very rare.

Residential housing in the United States is generally divided into three types: single residence (house); townhouse (townhouse); apartment (apartment). Single-family houses are the most common and have the most space. They generally have 3 to 5 bedrooms, and there are bungalows and buildings. The total area is about 200 to 300 square meters. It is the first choice for people who generally want to buy a house at home. Detached houses are relatively smaller, but generally have at least two bedrooms.

People with small families or singles prefer this kind of housing. Conjoined houses are generally two-story, with each unit having an upstairs and downstairs layout: the downstairs is usually the living room and kitchen, and the bedrooms are upstairs. Apartments are generally buildings, ranging from one to three bedrooms.

Individual houses are generally for sale, conjoined houses can be bought or rented, and apartments are generally rented to provide convenience for the floating population.

Houses in the United States generally have complete facilities and reasonable structures. The bathrooms and kitchens occupy a larger area than those in China. Houses with two bedrooms generally have one and a half to two bathrooms (the so-called half bathroom means there is no bathtub).

It is worth mentioning that although Americans do not drink hot water, their water pipes always have two pipe outlets, one for hot water and one for cold water. Drinking water is from cold water pipes (however, even so, in many states due to pollution, it is not recommended to drink the water from cold water pipes directly, and a filter must be used).

Buying a house in the United States generally does not require decoration. The builder does it in one step and sells it after decoration (most often the basement needs decoration). Usually the quality is high, the layout is reasonable, and the decoration is generous and beautiful. Most building materials are now made of synthetic materials. I heard people say that the materials used in old houses are better. I'm not an expert myself, so I can't tell.

Although the United States generally has a good reputation, a friend of mine recently encountered something unsatisfactory when buying a house. They bought a house first and then built it. As a result, the builder cut corners. It seemed that the friend and his wife did not undergo strict inspections when they moved in. Later, there were serious quality problems, which made the couple restless.

From my personal aesthetic point of view, all buildings in the United States, both civil and commercial, are the same as American clothes: affordable. I remember that many of my friends in China were engaged in decoration and paid great attention to appearance. But in general, American buildings are very simple on the outside, but very practical on the inside. Not only is it practical, it's also comfortable and tasteful. Many houses that look simple on the outside make it impossible for you to imagine that they are so "rich in content" inside. I remember when I first came to the United States and I was walking on the street with my Chinese friends, I accidentally wandered into a cafe and found that the decoration inside was very elegant. We were all poor students at the time, so when the waitress came over, everyone was inevitably a little embarrassed. After looking at the menu, I found that the drinks were very cheap, so I ordered a drink for one or two dollars and enjoyed the "high-end fun" there for a long time.

In the decorative taste of housing, the United States also shows the characteristics of the middle class: no vanity. There are very few "works by famous artists" hanging in American homes. This is also the reason why many artists find it difficult to survive in the United States: if others don't like your paintings, no matter how much the critics praise them, they still won't sell (however, this rule is that among most of the middle class, a few "masters" are praised "The works are still bought by a few big capitalists). Many art professionals in the United States have to paint portraits, mainly because Americans are more "narcissistic" and like to hang portraits of themselves or their relatives for self-admiration.

Although U.S. housing prices have fallen in recent years, they should be more stable than those in China. House prices and per capita income are not as disparate as in China. In short, in the United States, in the words of some compatriots, "having enough houses means living in them."

To be continued

Note: Regarding the affordability of American clothing, I speak generally. People who pursue fashion and vanity can be found everywhere.

2010