The United States, a superpower across the ocean, is a world leader in many ways, but at the same time there are many problems. Someone once said of the United States: "This is the United States, a self-righteous country that does not care about the feelings of others, only cares about its own interests, does not respect the culture of other countries, only promotes its own values, does not abide by international rules, and only formulates its own laws." After staying in the United States for a while, I would like to share with you what I have seen and heard in the United States through this article, and I hope you can see the most authentic America from it!
1. The housing price problem in the United States is also very serious, don't be fooled by the mansions and scenery in Hollywood movies, that is only the life of a few, for most of the middle class and low-income people in the United States, it is very difficult to buy a house. The most expensive homes in the U.S. are California and Hawaii, with the average home price in California being 50At $50,000 per square meter, the average home price in Hawaii is 61$50,000 per flat. The area of the United States is very large, but the population is mainly concentrated on the east and west coasts and some large cities, and the population density is quite high, which leads to the imbalance between supply and demand in the real estate market, attracting a large number of investors and speculators to speculate here, which aggravates the price of housing prices.
2. If you can't afford to buy a house, you have to rent, but renting in the United States is not cheap, and the rent varies greatly depending on the area and room type. The average monthly rent for renting a house in the United States is $1,650, while in large cities like San Francisco, the average monthly rent is $3,200. In addition, the tenant is required to sign a lease contract and pay a certain percentage of the deposit and the first month's rent. Lease contracts are usually for one or six months, during which time you may lose your deposit or be fined if you move out early or break the contract. In addition, renting a house in the United States also requires some utilities and maintenance costs such as water, electricity, and electricity.
3. The United States is a superpower, with a per capita GDP of more than 7$60,000, attracting immigrants and tourists from all over the world. The minimum hourly wage in the United States is $725 US dollars, which is equivalent to 47 yuan, but prices in the United States are also high, especially in large cities and coastal areas. In daily life, housing consumption accounts for a large proportion, a night in a hotel at least $100, an apartment at least $1,000 a month, if you want to buy a house, you need to prepare millions of dollars;In addition, food in the United States is also very expensive, and the 10 yuan a pound of pork that ordinary people eat is affordable imported meat or frozen meat, the kind of organic meat and grass-fed meat, which can easily cost hundreds of yuan a catty, which is only suitable for occasional luxury!It is worth mentioning that ordinary fruits in the United States are very cheap, and in supermarkets such as Walmart, watermelons with a size of 7 kg sell for 3$98, 5 kg size cherries sell for 598 US dollars, the former is almost 19 yuan5 yuan, the latter 29$3. However, fruits in the United States are generally not very sweet and need to be sweetened or honeyed to eat.
4. The United States is a multicultural country, and American food also reflects the flavors and characteristics of different regions and nationalities. Americans like to eat meat, seafood, vegetables, bread, pizza, burgers, hot dogs, etc., especially in pursuit of a convenient and fast lifestyle, no matter how hot the weather is, they will Xi eating frozen or canned food. For example, eating ice cream with a cold soda or beer, heating up fast or canned food in the microwave, going to the supermarket to buy a ready-made salad or sandwich, and so on. American food tastes can be difficult for people who prefer light and healthy to get used to. It is worth mentioning that Americans are very fond of sweets, eating more than 100 pounds of candy per capita per year, but there is no bean paste or sesame filling in American sweets, only cream and chocolate filling, and most of the sweets made are very greasy and sweet.
5. Americans are very fond of eating hamburgers, whether it is breakfast, lunch or dinner, you can often see people holding hamburgers on the side of the road, and sometimes they will eat hamburgers while driving, which really makes people worry about their health and safety. Burger joints in the United States can be found all over the country, and some chains are even open 24 hours a day, satisfying the needs of Americans to eat burgers anytime, anywhere. In the United States, eating hamburgers is a daily routine for adults and children, because they have been Xi to eating fast food since childhood, so everyone likes to choose convenient and quick burgers as a staple food.
6. Americans' lifestyles are very diverse, they will choose different occupations, hobbies, clothing, and even sexual orientations according to their preferences, in addition, American society is also very tolerant, and many people of different races, religions, and cultures can live in peace. Indeed, friends who have traveled in the United States will find that no matter when and where, you can always see all kinds of people on the streets of the United States, even in the hot summer, you can still see Americans who are not afraid of the heat in order to express themselves.
7. The United States is a wealthy country with abundant food resources, but it is also a wasteful country, with nearly 40% of food being discarded or unconsumed every year. According to statistics, Americans consume about 1700 million tons of food is equivalent to one pound of food thrown away by each person every day. The equivalent of $165 billion per year is wasted, or $165 per household per month. These foods, if used wisely, can feed at least 2500 million people. Moreover, the production, processing, transportation, storage and handling of these foods consume a lot of land, water and energy resources, as well as emit a lot of greenhouse gases. It is estimated that if the U.S. were to think of food waste as a country, it would be the world's third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, after China and the U.S. itself. This is a huge burden and threat to the global environment and climate change.
8. From the perspective of food, the price level in the United States is relatively low, and the food is also relatively affordable. For example, a large barrel of milk costs only $3, and a pound of beef or pork costs $3 to $5. However, if you want to eat fresh vegetables, you will have to spend a lot of money. The not-so-good thing is that the variety of food in the United States is more monotonous, not as rich and delicious as Chinese food. In China, you can taste all kinds of food from all over the world, and it's not high. Whether it is spicy Sichuan cuisine, light Cantonese cuisine, sweet and sour Shandong cuisine, spicy Hunan cuisine, or home-cooked Northeast cuisine, flavored Northwest cuisine, and exotic Yunnan cuisine, you can satisfy your taste buds, which is incomparable in the United States.
9. In terms of transportation, China's public transportation system is much more advanced than that of the United States. Most of the U.S. doesn't have a subway, and buses are scarce. If you don't have a private car in the United States, it's very inconvenient to get around. Even in a big city like New York, the existing subway is a decades-old facility with a dirty interior. In China, whether it is a first-tier city or some second-tier cities, there are many options such as subways, buses, taxis, etc. Moreover, China's high-speed rail network is also well developed, which can quickly and easily reach various provinces.
10. In terms of the convenience of life, China is undoubtedly better than the United States. China's food delivery services are very developed, you can order food anytime, anywhere, and there is a wide variety, and you can also buy groceries, clothes, electrical appliances and so on through online shopping platforms. Although there are also food delivery and online shopping services in the United States, the speed of food delivery is very slow, and many food delivery guys are on bicycles to deliver food, often waiting for an hour or two. In addition, there is a small range of options for online shopping, and there are additional handling fees or shipping costs. In addition, mobile payment in China is also popular, and you can pay with just a scan of your mobile phone. In the United States, credit cards are still the main payment method, so if you forget to bring your wallet, it will be troublesome.
11. Many people on the Internet think that they can make a lot of money by working in the United States, but this is not the case. In the United States, working as a waiter in a restaurant can earn about $3,000 a month, but this kind of work is very hard, working more than ten hours a day, six or seven days a week, without freedom and fun, it is difficult for ordinary people to accept. And you have to remember that although you earn dollars in the United States, you also spend dollars, and the average person can't save much money in a month except for daily expenses.
12. It is often said that houses in the United States are cheap, but don't forget that the cost of raising a house in the United States is very high. In some big cities or good areas, the land tax for a house costs about $10,000 a year, in addition to maintenance fees, water and electricity bills, etc., which are not cheap. In China, although houses are more expensive, they are relatively cheaper. For example, most houses in China are exempt from real estate taxes, and maintenance and utility bills are much cheaper than in the United States. In addition, the United States likes to buy second-hand houses, many of which are old and need to be maintained and updated frequently. So, although it may seem cheap to buy a house in the United States, it actually costs a lot of money to maintain a house.
13. If you want to talk about the safety of the city and the richness of life, it is better than China. The nightlife in China is very colorful, and the streets are full of people and lights. You can go to the night market for snacks, go to the bar for a jump, go to the cinema and watch a movie, and so on. In the United States, the nights are deserted, and few people come out to play. The cultural activities and entertainment programs in the United States are also relatively monotonous, not as diverse and interesting as in China. And, most importantly, there is little to no need to worry about safety on a big night in China, but in the United States, you have to worry about traveling alone on a big night.
14. Americans' food culture is very different from Chinese. They also don't like to drink hot water or hot tea like the Chinese, who feel that this can warm their stomachs and eliminate the cold. They prefer to drink ice water or other cold beverages, believing that it will quench their thirst and become refreshing faster. There are two extremes in the dietary Xi of Americans. One is a very healthy vegetarian diet, which mainly eats plant foods such as vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, etc., and avoids animal foods such as meat, dairy products, eggs, etc. It is believed that this reduces the risk of chronic diseases and also protects the environment and animal welfare. The other is a very unhealthy fast-foodism, often eating fried, high-sugar, high-salt foods such as burgers, pizzas, fried chicken, and French fries, or eating processed foods such as instant noodles, canned food, ice cream, etc., thinking that this will save time and money, and also satisfy the taste and appetite. This unhealthy eating Xi has also contributed to high rates of obesity and various chronic diseases in the United States.
15. Americans' consumption concepts are very different from Chinese, they do not love to save, but live in the moment and enjoy life. They believe that money is to be spent rather than saved, and value the quality of life in the present rather than the security of the future. Americans rarely save money for a car or a house for their children, and they feel that their children should work their own to achieve their dreams. Americans are also less worried about life after retirement, as most people believe that Social Security and pensions will be provided to give them a decent old age. Americans' consumption Xi is also very luxurious, like to use money to travel, see the world's scenery and culture, but also like to use money to entertain, watch movies, listen to **, play games, etc., thinking that this can enrich their life experience and happy feelings. However, this consumption Xi has also led to Americans' debt and growing wealth gap.
Overall, the United States is a strong and diverse country, but it is not as rosy as it is described on the Internet, and it has many internal problems and challenges. Americans also have some not-so-good Xi and concepts, they are sometimes overconfident, selfish and conceited, and like to impose their own ideas on other countries, causing a lot of trouble in the world!As the saying goes, the stones of other mountains can be used to attack jade, so we might as well take the essence of it and remove its dross, so as to jointly help our country become prosperous and strong!