The World Cup has turned America into a discovery channel for the rest of the world.
And they are not handling it well.
In the best possible way.
Here is what they are discovering:
Free public restrooms. Europeans pay every time.
Free water at every restaurant. Just appears.
Free refills. Coffee. Sodas. Iced tea. Unlimited.
Free chips and salsa before you even order.
Free warm bread with dinner.
Ice in drinks like civilized people.
Air conditioning everywhere. Not a moral debate. A fact.
Parking lots attached to the actual place you are going.
Drive throughs where the food comes to the car while you sit in it.
Ranch dressing by the gallon.
Tex-Mex that cannot be explained only experienced.
Dental care that actually works.
Buccee’s. There are no words for Buccee’s.
Then they found the grocery stores.
Five of them within one mile.
Each one the size of an aircraft hangar.
Burgers. Steaks. Brisket. Ribs. Pulled pork. Lamb. Veal. Every cut of every animal ever domesticated by human civilization available in one refrigerated aisle at ten in the morning on a Tuesday.
The Germans stood in the meat section for forty five minutes.
In silence.
Processing.
They finally understand why we do not have trains.
We have roads wide enough for the cars we actually drive.
Parking lots the size of small European countries.
Airports in every city worth visiting.
Why would we need trains.
The Germans are taking ranch home by the bottle.
The Dutch found queso and briefly lost the ability to speak.
The Japanese are photographing HEB like it is the Louvre.
The Czechs are weeping in West, Texas.
Welcome to America!
The greatest country on earth.
USA. A Mexican restaurant. We had not yet ordered anything, and the food was already arriving.
Chips. Salsa. Unrequested. Free.
I stopped the waiter. "We have not earned these."
"They just come with the table, man."
They come with the TABLE. In my land, hospitality is a debt. Every gift creates an obligation, weighed carefully, returned in the proper season with interest of feeling. Here, the gift arrives before you have even proven you can pay for dinner.
This is not an appetizer. This is a declaration: we trust you. Eat.
I ate with the gravity the moment deserved. And then — I must report this calmly — the basket emptied, and a new one appeared.
"Did we…?"
"Refill," the waiter said. "It's bottomless."
Bottomless. They have wells of salsa. The supply lines of this nation are beyond anything my ancestors imagined.
My friend warned me. "Don't fill up on chips, dude."
Too late. I had accepted three baskets. Honor demanded each one be finished — an unfinished gift is an insult. By the time my actual food arrived, I was a ruined man.
I was not hungry. I was not comfortable. I had been defeated by a courtesy.
Generosity that arrives before the request cannot be repaid. It can only be survived.
I know the rule now. I have made my peace with the basket. One basket. Two at the most.
Who am I deceiving. There is no number of baskets I would refuse. The trust of a nation is in that salsa, and I intend to honor all of it.
Gabriel Landeskog was certainly not expecting a second award to appear when he sat down for this interview! 🏆
Watch as Landeskog's family surprises him with the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for the way he exemplified perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. #NHLAwards
I don't understand people picking Nebraska today. Nebraska stinks. Sheraud Sanders is a Heisman caliber Qb with skill players all over the field. Lotta dummies out there.
I hate open carry attention wh*res. Not the people just open carrying, I think its not tactically sound but do you. I'm talking about the dudes who roll around in full kit with an AR slung in front of them.
Yes it's legal, but you're an absolute moron. Several years ago I watched a man walk into a store and do just that. Full armor, rifle, drop leg holster. I almost shot him. I watched thinking this person was about to open fire and put my hand on my pistol and started to draw till I saw him walking around like a goober with his friend filming.
Just because something is legal doesn't mean you should do it. I'm for it being legal but I think you're an absolute rock eating exhibitionist moron.
With the latest mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets mall in Allen, Texas, we are reminded that this vicious cycle is just repeating itself yet again.
That cycles goes as follows:
- Mass shooting leaves people dead.
- Politicians either offer 'thoughts and prayers," they demand gun control, or they blame a particular group of people.
- Days or weeks go by and the news cycle changes.
- Nothing get done.
- Cycle repeats.
We aren't getting anywhere because politicians can't agree on a solution and they'd rather point fingers at one another than put an end to the cycle.
There are a lot of problems from my point of view. They include:
1) Ease of getting a gun.
2) Mental healthcare in America.
3) Too many people feel that society has let them down.
4) Too many children are being raised by parents who are too busy with other things.
5) Too many children are not taught about the damage they do when they tease other children.
There isn't just one simple fix. This is a multi-faceted issue and as Americans we should be trying to work together instead of alienate each other.