Out of interest, what do you mean by automated garbage disposal? The urban infrastructure of someone taking away your garbage, or the mostly-US device installed in your sinks?

The latter does not exist in Europe so I haven't ever thought it would be an important step in reducing chores. We have bio waste bins for food leftovers which seems pretty efficient already.

It's a grinder machine that people install just below their drain. Ostensibly so that you don't have to put a strainer in there.

In my opinion they provide basically zero value but lots of trouble. They encourage putting all kinds of nastiness down your pipes and in my experience tend to break and leak. But they are virtually ubiquitous here.

Lots of local and regional governments in Europe encourage people to not use the toilet or the sink as a trash can. The wastewater is usually treated before arriving to rivers and other places, so the cleanest is the water, the easiest is to treat it.

Absolutely, only toilet paper can be thrown to toilets. Everything else must go to garbage bins, especially all kinds of wet wipes. Same is surely true for US too.

> My mom would make popcorn in a frying pan. The machine is sooo much easier.

But perhaps not as much fun, particularly if you forget to put the lid on?

> It seems I spent half my childhood washing dishes by hand. Ugh.

Yes, I remember that when I left home to go to university, the very first thing my parents did was to buy a dishwasher.

Mind you, I don't have one today - kitchen too small, and I don't like bending down to fill/empty it.

I'll be honest: I do think frying pan popcorn legitimately tastes better. That said, it can't be argued it's far easier to use the machine.

pretty easy if you use a steel mixing bowl covered in foil with some holes poked (unpopped kernels pool towards the Center)

I still don't have a dishwasher or a garbage disposal (and I've never even used / seen any), diswasher seems really marginal upgrade as a childless couple - I guess it is a timesaver for a family of 4+?

I'm really wondering about the garbage disposal thing and I'll go Google about them.