By Basab Dasgupta
Of all the American customs and traditions that I have encountered in my life in the US, three stand out...
I vividly remember my first impression of the USA. As my TWA flight was landing at the JFK airport in New York, I looked out of the window with the hope of seeing the famous Manhattan skyline. I was overwhelmed by what I saw instead; huge airport parking lots packed with hundreds of cars in. every size, shape, style and color. This was a new experience for me coming from the land of Hindustan Ambassador typically in three or four colors. I did not see any other transport; no bus, train or tram.
My friend who picked me up from the airport had a recent model, a Ford Maverick. Riding in his car was like floating through the clouds: no bumps, no jerks, no sudden stops. The car, with automatic transmission, did not even have a clutch. The roads were sloped at sharp turns to increase frictional force. It seemed that the car turned almost by itself.
I realized that the USA is a country on wheels without many options for mass transit, and one cannot have a decent life here without a car. I had to wait two years before I could afford one. However, having a car is not just for fun, it comes with the chore of maintenance, repair and proper documentation. This was a difficult learning process; unlike American kids who tinker with cars from their teenage years, I had never looked under the hood of a car in India.
Fortunately, I have owned multiple cars of different brands and styles during my life here and driven them through different terrains throughout the country. The happiest period of my car ownership was when my wife worked for General Motors and was eligible for a substantial discount off the sticker price of a new car. We changed cars every three or four years. However, my most favorite car was a Mercedes-Benz convertible.
While I knew about American cars from movies and magazines, I did not know anything about the obsession of Americans with their pets. I never had a pet in India. They seemed to be an unnecessary burden and source of emotional trauma when they fell sick or died. There were neighborhood street dogs and alley cats scavenging our trash which did not look clean nor healthy. A few wealthy neighbors had dogs – typically Alsheshan or poodle; cats were more common, but I never paid any attention to them.
The variety of breeds for both cats and dogs in this country is almost as wide as automobiles. They come in various sizes, shapes and colors. The price of these pets was also quite shocking to me, ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. In addition to just having pets, there are routine chores associated with it. Apart from feeding and cleaning them, one must provide cat litter boxes for cats and take dogs for a "walk" for their bathroom habits and make some arrangement if one is going away for a day or two.
I was awed that almost all grocery stores had separate aisles dedicated to cat and dog food. Nationwide large chain stores, such as "PETSMART" and "PETCO", dedicated to pet related items, have emerged, offering a wide variety of pet paraphernalia including pet enclosures, leashes, toys etc. Different brands of pet foods compete against each other through expensive TV advertisements.
There are veterinarians and "pet hospitals" in many neighborhoods. There are facilities for pet grooming where pets are given bath, shampooing and trimming of their fur and "pet hotels" or kennels where you can leave your pet when you go on vacation.
Almost every other American family that I meet owns a pet; either a dog or cat and in many cases both. Love of pets is probably a commentary on the loneliness of people in this society resulting from an individualistic lifestyle.
Loneliness is present among single people, couples living together but not committed to having children, older "empty nesters" and even among married people seeking unconditional love they do not get from their spouses. Even pets acquired to provide company and entertainment for young kids are meant to address their loneliness!
In addition to providing company, pets also serve as "showpiece" bragging items like one's car or TV set – a symbol of the materialistic society. There are pet shows and contests to demonstrate these prized possessions. Expensive breeds are symbols of affluence. However, larger and more ferocious dogs can be security guards against unwanted intruders. The blind folks often depend entirely on dogs for their outings outside the home. Breeding pets can be a big dollar business.
Fortunately, Indians typically do not suffer from such loneliness because of our family-oriented culture and fewer cases of divorces. Being frugal, spending large amounts of money on pets seems like a waste to us. In addition, there is an unspoken mindset that, if we were to spend this kind of money on someone other than ourselves, why not spend it on poor and starving people in India or on some cultural/religious cause.
The third element of surprise for me in the American lifestyle was the practice of covering floors with carpets. Carpet in India meant a fancy decorative piece like a Persian or Kashmiri rug covering only a part of the floor, typically in the living or dining room. In the US, a carpeted room usually means floor covered from wall to wall. Underneath the carpet is a layer of padding and then wooden floor. As soon as I started to look for an apartment to rent, I found out that carpeted apartments cost more. While it is softer and more comfortable to walk on a carpeted floor, my first question was how to clean the floor.
Dusting and mopping cement floors, typically done by a domestic help, was common in India. Here I had to buy a vacuum cleaner and learn how to operate it. Usually, once a week was adequate. I often wonder how much dirt is really removed from carpets by vacuuming. The next level of cleaning involved shampooing which requires a special tool and cleaning solution.
One great advantage of carpet is that it comes in a wide variety of colors, thickness and design. It can also be cut into pieces of different shapes allowing creation of an exotic design. Fortunately, gone are “shag carpets” with high fiber (pile) where coins and small objects can disappear. In business offices with high traffic, the carpet is made up of more durable material with less attention to comfort.
It is ironic that a recent trend in the US is towards wooden or wood-like floors. Wood floors are preferred for cleaning conveniences and a more hygienic environment. More expensive homes have tile floors with tiles made of ceramic, marble, travertine etc.
Of all American customs and traditions that I have encountered in my life in the USA these three stand out because they were unexpected, universally used and hit me within a few days after my arrival.
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(California-based Basab Dasgupta has a doctorate in Physics from the University of Wisconsin and has worked with Sony as Vice President of an operating division.)
The views expressed are personal and not necessarily those of The South Asian Times
