"By making a thousand daily tasks like this much simpler, the Americans accrue to themselves a great amount of time and ease, and prevent a good deal of localised irritation.”
In less than 3 weeks, you’ve discovered a key ingredient to both America’s success and living the good life. It took Tocqueville over 40!
There's a very good private library in New York—inexpensive, too. Not that does you much good: https://www.nysoclib.org/
The Michigan library system is excellent though I don't really get to take advantage of it much. The public libraries in the state share a big catalog and things travel between them very quickly.
oh also I forgot to mention re: beans that I think it's kind of an American Anglophile rite of passage to try "baked beans on toast" without realizing the beans in question are very different
I love American beans, and remember some beans I had in Boston once that were delicious, but it is unthinkable to me that half a can of beans should have 11g of sugar!!
I’ve loved reading this series, however I must note that beans cooked with sugar are a truly unnatural creation.
In my opinion it should be a savory dish, primarily consisting of black or pinto beans, to be cooked with onions, dried chilies, garlic, and perhaps some bay leaf or epazote.
How Heinz came to be a sort of sacred institution in the UK with their sugar beans, I will never understand at an emotional level.
Have you noticed how salty American food is? A US Macdonald's burger and fries is almost inedible after living in England, where I am delighted to think that the authorities have been successful in persuading manufacturers to reduce salt and sugar in food.
"Unlike the English, [Americans] do not seem to relish the power of being a petty bureaucrat, and nor do they wish to have something to complain about..."
As an American, this is not obvious to me! I am curious how this impression of yours will develop as you accumulate more American experience; especially more "normal" American experience.
If you wanted to do something very Mercatus-coded, you could rate the strength of this impression weekly on a Likert scale and set up a prediction market among your readers regarding how you will feel after 6 months, a year, etc.
Welcome to the US! As Mitch Hedberg said, "sorry for the convenience." Those of us Americans who have had the experience of living in the UK had much the reverse culture-shock experience of wondering why everything was so difficult. But there are admittedly a lot of nice libraries there.
Great stuff, Henry! Having some strong feelings about the mini-tyrants we often encounter here in the states, I can’t imagine how bad the bureaucracy must be in England.
Arlington libraries have a reciprocal relationship with the neighboring counties, so you can get cards in Alexandria and Fairfax, too. FFX county is huge so there’s lots of selection — though it’s also huge physically, so interlibrary loans take a while there, too.
Henry, should you want to visit politics and prose at its original location on Connecticut Avenue in NW DC, I’d be honored to treat you and any accompanying relatives to lunch/coffee/delicious ice cream at the shop a few doors down. Redeemable anytime.
Love these missives; it’s so useful to see one’s home through others’ eyes!
Love hearing of your adjustment journey. It is, after all, the journey beyond that of crossing the water.
Americans are, in general, quite gracious but don’t too disparaging of the English. I’ve had lovely encounters, yes, even in London where a delightful young man missed his train to make sure we got to our destination— in the right train… during rush time.
That said, I do believe a lot of our experience of people had to do with our own expectations of them, and our own presence.
As to those maddening mosquito bites, a couple of thoughts to save you from our non-existent equivalent of Bedlam: a homeopathic remedy called Lednum, 30c ( sometimes I also use Apis 200c) and a few applications of lavender oil on the bites. I’m pretty reactive to insects… these help me, and I would certainly have them with me if I were in Virginia ( with 3-i’s).
Oh, and if you get/or have a US phone plan, there are cheaper international options, perhaps.
Second on the calling plan. Also you could try an online option. When I’m in countries where I don’t want to pay for international voice calls and use Google voice, which gives me an LA number. There’s probably a similar option for the UK.
Thank you for this link. I really enjoy your site; unfortunately, I have not been blessed with abundant shekels and have had to curb my site appetite (I took the lid off and it almost left me in debtors' prison last month). Maybe, if the money moguls are good to me via IRS this year, I can afford to add you to my collection of news/information sources. We'll see.
"By making a thousand daily tasks like this much simpler, the Americans accrue to themselves a great amount of time and ease, and prevent a good deal of localised irritation.”
In less than 3 weeks, you’ve discovered a key ingredient to both America’s success and living the good life. It took Tocqueville over 40!
I have the advantage of reading Tocqueville of course
There's a very good private library in New York—inexpensive, too. Not that does you much good: https://www.nysoclib.org/
The Michigan library system is excellent though I don't really get to take advantage of it much. The public libraries in the state share a big catalog and things travel between them very quickly.
oh also I forgot to mention re: beans that I think it's kind of an American Anglophile rite of passage to try "baked beans on toast" without realizing the beans in question are very different
I love American beans, and remember some beans I had in Boston once that were delicious, but it is unthinkable to me that half a can of beans should have 11g of sugar!!
Hope you’re keeping an eye on your weight Henry 😉
"I wish they would all stub their toes."
That's so English. No American would ever say that. I may have to use it.
I’ve loved reading this series, however I must note that beans cooked with sugar are a truly unnatural creation.
In my opinion it should be a savory dish, primarily consisting of black or pinto beans, to be cooked with onions, dried chilies, garlic, and perhaps some bay leaf or epazote.
How Heinz came to be a sort of sacred institution in the UK with their sugar beans, I will never understand at an emotional level.
Have you noticed how salty American food is? A US Macdonald's burger and fries is almost inedible after living in England, where I am delighted to think that the authorities have been successful in persuading manufacturers to reduce salt and sugar in food.
You should come down to Charlottesville for the annual book sale in October. Great time to visit Albemarle County.
"Unlike the English, [Americans] do not seem to relish the power of being a petty bureaucrat, and nor do they wish to have something to complain about..."
As an American, this is not obvious to me! I am curious how this impression of yours will develop as you accumulate more American experience; especially more "normal" American experience.
If you wanted to do something very Mercatus-coded, you could rate the strength of this impression weekly on a Likert scale and set up a prediction market among your readers regarding how you will feel after 6 months, a year, etc.
Welcome to the US! As Mitch Hedberg said, "sorry for the convenience." Those of us Americans who have had the experience of living in the UK had much the reverse culture-shock experience of wondering why everything was so difficult. But there are admittedly a lot of nice libraries there.
Great stuff, Henry! Having some strong feelings about the mini-tyrants we often encounter here in the states, I can’t imagine how bad the bureaucracy must be in England.
Arlington libraries have a reciprocal relationship with the neighboring counties, so you can get cards in Alexandria and Fairfax, too. FFX county is huge so there’s lots of selection — though it’s also huge physically, so interlibrary loans take a while there, too.
Henry, should you want to visit politics and prose at its original location on Connecticut Avenue in NW DC, I’d be honored to treat you and any accompanying relatives to lunch/coffee/delicious ice cream at the shop a few doors down. Redeemable anytime.
Love these missives; it’s so useful to see one’s home through others’ eyes!
Enjoy the cookies! You're welcome.
Love hearing of your adjustment journey. It is, after all, the journey beyond that of crossing the water.
Americans are, in general, quite gracious but don’t too disparaging of the English. I’ve had lovely encounters, yes, even in London where a delightful young man missed his train to make sure we got to our destination— in the right train… during rush time.
That said, I do believe a lot of our experience of people had to do with our own expectations of them, and our own presence.
As to those maddening mosquito bites, a couple of thoughts to save you from our non-existent equivalent of Bedlam: a homeopathic remedy called Lednum, 30c ( sometimes I also use Apis 200c) and a few applications of lavender oil on the bites. I’m pretty reactive to insects… these help me, and I would certainly have them with me if I were in Virginia ( with 3-i’s).
Oh, and if you get/or have a US phone plan, there are cheaper international options, perhaps.
Second on the calling plan. Also you could try an online option. When I’m in countries where I don’t want to pay for international voice calls and use Google voice, which gives me an LA number. There’s probably a similar option for the UK.
Thank you for this link. I really enjoy your site; unfortunately, I have not been blessed with abundant shekels and have had to curb my site appetite (I took the lid off and it almost left me in debtors' prison last month). Maybe, if the money moguls are good to me via IRS this year, I can afford to add you to my collection of news/information sources. We'll see.
He’s saying he doesn’t want money.
He may want it but the immigration authorities won’t let him take it.
Oh. That's good AND bad news.
Let me sleep on it. Thanks for the 2 heads' up.