I find this literally to be the exact opposite of the truth. At least in NYC and NJ, these kinds of small stores are everywhere. Because, crucially, we don't have cars to travel to these big box stores and get a months worth of groceries in one go. Within a 5 block radius of me, I have grocery stores that sell Japanese, Greek, Indian, and Hispanic each to cater to the demographic living close.
Driving through the south and midwest, I mostly just saw immensely massive parking lots for Walmart, Dollar Generals, some liquor store, and other common big box markets with an ocean of gleaming SUVs in front of them.
I can walk 5 miles down an avenue and buy groceries from small shops that I don't even know the name of from a dozen different countries.
If you're just driving through, as you stated, and never actually stopped or lived in any of these towns then I'm not surprised you have that impression.
What OP was mentioning is this:
> There’s no kiraana stores (i.e. small local stores) that sell grains and rice and vegetables here, it seems. (Or small stationery shops, or shops of any kind.)
What immediately came to my mind was feed stores mixed with a farmers market which there's an abundance of in rural areas. You're not going to find that that in a big city. For reference, I live on the West coast (not in NYC) and we have small grocers, but not specialized little mom and pops or something in-between like a feed store.
What. Where are you getting any of interpretation this from?
The post mentions:
> small local stores
> that sell grains and rice and vegetables here
> small stationery shops
> or shops of any kind
https://meaningin.com/urdu-to-english/kiraana-in-english
Doing a blind translation, kiraana comes up as.
> consumer goods sold by a grocer
> a marketplace where groceries are sold
> specialized little mom and pops
> something in-between like a feed storeThe OP means stores that are within walking distance.
That’s why he mentions having to drive to buy groceries.
In India, as in most cities in Asia and Europe (and NYC, NYC satellites), you walk around the corner to buy the vast majority of your daily needs.
I lived in Boston for a couple years and went to Haymarket [0] all the time next to the amazing Boston Public Market. There are a bunch of smaller produce stands and specialty shops throughout the city like Deluca's. I am sad to see, however, that Russo's in Watertown has just closed. Elmendorf Baking Supplies in Cambridge looks awesome and I'm sad I left before they opened.
If ya just want a big bag of rice, Super 88 has a great market in addition to all the great food stalls. See also Little India next to Market Basket in Somerville.
You want stationary? Check out Loyal Supply Company in Somerville.
I've been able to locate similar places in every city I've lived in, with the exception of feed stores (although my current city has one, and I just never really looked for one). I'm curious what city you're in, maybe I had it even better in Boston than I already thought. I'm sure the last two years have not been good for discovering new farmers markets in large cities, though.
Check into CSAs too, esp. if you can't find or attend a farmers market. I'm sure that model is branching out from beyond just produce, too. We have a mushroom grower and dairy creamery where I'm at these days.
As someone who escaped suburbia for the city and later countryside, my experience reflects that of the poster you replied to. Big box strip mall chain complexes are found in the burbs.
What I was really getting at is if they're missing small mom and pop stores, that's most of what the town I grew up in had (specifically in the South, but the Midwest isn't that much different.) I was encouraging them to get out of the city and see the rest of America. Living in big American cities has been a bit soul-sucking for me and not at all reflective of the rest of America, but obviously there's a lot of pride that some people hold for them.
NYC and SF to a lesser extent: big box exist, but there are alternatives.
Can't speak to Chicago or the northern Midwest though.
oh well and then there is China from what I remember, where they sell something like quite big rocks even in regular supermarkets, unseen in Europe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfHgUu_8KgA
I was pleased when I remodelled my bathroom there and installed a mixer. So much more convenient.
>>There are, just not in big coastal cities.
As another commenter mentioned here, these types of store are actually very common in NYC.
I don't know how it works in India, but I know some places where there is no centralized hot water and only a single pipe. When you need hot water, there is a dedicated heater and you control temperature on the heater itself. So I guess that someone who is used to a system like this will find a two tap system unsettling.
Anyways, I think we can all agree that the worst system is the one with two separate taps with no mixing, like they still have in the UK.
Two taps - one for cold and one for hot makes sense. Since they each control the flow rate of hot/cold respectively. And from what I understand, this matches with the internals as you have one pipe for cold water and one pipe for hot water. Of course, rich people probably have more complicated setups that allow for even more precision...
My experience is exactly the opposite.
What? Yes, it does. It's actually the cheapest to buy if you are a bit poor. https://www.walmart.com/ip/C-H-Premium-Pure-Cane-Sugar-Cubes...
Made me snort. I grew up here and I've still mindlessly done this.
> There’s no kiraana stores (i.e. small local stores) that sell grains and rice and vegetables here, it seems. (Or small stationery shops, or shops of any kind.) Almost all shopping has to be done at a big chain retail store like Lidl or Megamart or Target or any of the other big-names.
There are, just not in big coastal cities. I'm biased, but I generally tell people that big coastal cities are not a proper representation of American cultures vastness. They provide a boxed and abridged experience of a very opinionated nature. Instead, traverse the states and see what each geography has to offer. You'll find those things are still alive in the Midwest and South.
> Stoves are always electric. No lighter needed.
Kinda. Places I've lived usually have natural gas, but electric ignition is standard.
> But for bathroom taps, I don’t understand why there’s two different knobs for hot and cold. It’s binary. There should be just one knob which decides the hotness of water, depending on how much it’s moved.
I've never thought about this. My current place has one, but other places have two. I'm not sure if that was just style though.
As for the comment on curtains, this is mainly cultural. Some people like them, others don't. They require cleaning (moreso than blinds) and not everyone wants to do that. For what it's worth, my mom still hangs curtains. I don't think anyone can convince her that blinds are worthy of a trial.
I really enjoyed this read. Thanks for the observations, and I'm looking forward to the next post!