I took a road trip around Texas, some things I noticed

[statnerd]

I took a two week road trip out to Palo Duro Canyon (near Amarillo), Caprock Canyon (SE of Amarillo), and then to Big Bend (SE of El Paso). The landscape was absolutely beautiful. That is one big positive about America.

What bothered me more than anything was how it was next to impossible to find healthy food while on the road. Just about everything was greasy and fatty. The only food that was healthy in restaurants was something incredibly bland like a chicken breast and some brocolli and rice. That was the one healthy option on the menu and everything else was unhealthy junk. No wonder why so many people in the U.S. are fat!

Something else that bothered me was how people treat customer service people. I stayed in a hotel where this woman was losing her mind due to the hotel not having juice at the breakfast buffet. The guy at the front desk who she was venting her anger towards looked miserable. I felt sorry for him. It just made me think about how many Americans are angry almost all the time and go through life with a pissy attitude.

[Winston]

Were you alone? Doesn't it feel weird to travel alone in America? No one seems to dare to do that, there must be some loser connotation if you travel alone in America. When I travel alone I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb or look odd or awkward, because everyone else is with a group, couple, family, friends, etc. No one seems to dare travel alone in America even though there's nothing wrong with it technically. When you travel alone, you have more freedom to do what you want without having to consult with your travel partner or having to sync with your partner's pace. Unless of course you are lucky enough to have a friend or partner who is at the same pace and wavelength as you.

I also love the beauty and landscapes in America, and nature and national parks. That's the only thing good about America's lands. Not the culture though. The beauty and landscapes remind me of Lewis and Clark's expedition in 1803, and of the movie Dances with Wolves too. lol

As to food, why not just go to Subway? It's everywhere in America, even at gas stations. You can just get a healthy 6 inch sandwich and sugarless iced tea and maybe one small bag of chips. That would be a healthy meal. True it's hard to eat healthy in America. The junk food is so good, and organic health food stores is expensive. In Europe mainstream food is already natural and organic so you don't need to find special organic health food stores. I guess America only wants the rich to eat healthy. So stupid.

Yeah Americans are always irritable and impatient. But when they are out in nature like in Utah or Colorado I find that they are more laid back when surrounded by nature. You also notice this in Yellowstone National Park too, everyone is relaxed and happy to wait for a moose to cross the road, and glad to drive slowly so they can take photos while driving.

[HappyGuy]

Texas I-40 EAST BOUND

As to food, why not just go to Subway? It's everywhere in America, even at gas stations. You can just get a healthy 6 inch sandwich and sugarless iced tea and maybe one small bag of chips. That would be a healthy meal.

Subway's bread is made using soy oil and was found to have Azodicarbonamide an ingredient found in yoga mats.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBqyTQuiqK0

Their meats are made from animals pumped full of estrogen and have carcinogenic preservatives like sodium nitrate and who knows what else, their vegetables aren't healthy either even the jalapeños have green food coloring which is toxic for your brain. And my favorite, they wrap your sandwich in thermal paper which contains Bisphenol A (BPA). So just from contact the paper shuts down your male hormones and the meat and bread flood your body with estrogen which causes a serious hormonal imbalance and makes you fat and sluggish and infertile. You might as well go to McDonalds or Krispy Kreme for some estrogen burgers and diabetes.

[statnerd]

Were you alone? Doesn't it feel weird to travel alone in America? No one seems to dare to do that, there must be some loser connotation if you travel alone in America. When I travel alone I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb or look odd or awkward, because everyone else is with a group, couple, family, friends, etc. No one seems to dare travel alone in America even though there's nothing wrong with it technically. When you travel alone, you have more freedom to do what you want without having to consult with your travel partner or having to sync with your partner's pace. Unless of course you are lucky enough to have a friend or partner who is at the same pace and wavelength as you.

I also love the beauty and landscapes in America, and nature and national parks. That's the only thing good about America's lands. Not the culture though. The beauty and landscapes remind me of Lewis and Clark's expedition in 1803, and of the movie Dances with Wolves too. lol

As to food, why not just go to Subway? It's everywhere in America, even at gas stations. You can just get a healthy 6 inch sandwich and sugarless iced tea and maybe one small bag of chips. That would be a healthy meal. True it's hard to eat healthy in America. The junk food is so good, and organic health food stores is expensive. In Europe mainstream food is already natural and organic so you don't need to find special organic health food stores. I guess America only wants the rich to eat healthy. So stupid.

Yeah Americans are always irritable and impatient. But when they are out in nature like in Utah or Colorado I find that they are more laid back when surrounded by nature. You also notice this in Yellowstone National Park too, everyone is relaxed and happy to wait for a moose to cross the road, and glad to drive slowly so they can take photos while driving.

Yeah, I was alone. It's my favorite way to travel. Whenever I travel with other people, we have to compromise on everything. I've travelled with women before and they spend a lot of time getting ready in the morning, putting on makeup and doing their hair lol. I like to get out of bed early, hop in the shower, and then hit the road. Every once in a blue moon, I'll get sad looks from people when I travel alone, like they feel sorry for me. In fact, I could probably count the number of times that has happened on my hands. Most people don't care.

It is awesome that we have such a wide variety of beautiful landscapes. I usually see groups of people from Asia and Europe when I visit national/state parks in the desert in the Western U.S. It's so different from what they have back home.

As far as Subway goes, it's true that it is healthier than just about everything else you can find when dining out, but you can burn out very easily on Subway. It doesn't taste fresh and doesn't have much flavor. That's one thing that I enjoy when visiting Asia - healthy food that is full of flavor. The absolute best food I had was in Penang, Malaysia. I could eat the food there every day and never get tired of it. Thai food comes in second imo.

Yeah, people are definitely happy and laid back at national/state parks. People say hi to each other on the trails, ask how your day is going, etc. Also, I hardly ever see black people at national/state parks. That's kind of odd, because I often visit a state park about 30 miles away from Houston, a city that has plenty of black people. I'd say maybe 1-2% of the people I've seen at national/state parks have been black, maybe less. It's such a rarity.

Just a few miles from Caprock Canyon state park, there is a small town with less than 500 people. I ate breakfast at a cafe there one morning and the lady who worked there talked to me the whole time I was eating. She was smiling and happy and acted like we were friends, even though we were strangers.

Small, rural towns with less than 2,000 people and national/state parks seem to have the happiest, nicest people in the U.S. Big cities and suburbs seem to have the most miserable, meanest people.

[Winston]

Isn't Amarillo and Big Bend in Texas? How can that be beautiful scenery? I heard that Texas is bland and flat and has no nature or landscapes or mountains or canyons. Is that true? What's there to see at Big Bend? Is it just desert and cactuses?

The real spectacular scenery is at Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona. Those are the Southwest Grand Circle states. You should drive around there.

[statnerd]

Isn't Amarillo and Big Bend in Texas? How can that be beautiful scenery? I heard that Texas is bland and flat and has no nature or landscapes or mountains or canyons. Is that true? What's there to see at Big Bend? Is it just desert and cactuses?

The real spectacular scenery is at Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona. Those are the Southwest Grand Circle states. You should drive around there.

Most of Texas is bland and flat, but Palo Duro Canyon, Caprock Canyon, and Big Bend are definitely not flat or bland. They are exceptions and have natural features that are thousands of feet high. They're nothing like the Rockies, but they are beautiful.

Just do a Google images search for Palo Duro Canyon, Caprock Canyon, and Big Bend, and you'll see what I mean.

[Winston]

But what I don't get is why Americans are so afraid to travel alone? You don't even see super macho hyper masculine brave men traveling alone in America. They always have to be with someone. Why is that? Plus I don't see how you can find people to travel with in America. Most people are busy with work or family. And to travel with those already traveling in America, your schedule and theirs have to match up exactly and you have to get along with them too. I find Europeans much more willing to travel alone, but even so, they usually travel alone in Asia or some exotic place. You don't even see that many Europeans traveling alone in America.

[MrMan]

I took a two week road trip out to Palo Duro Canyon (near Amarillo), Caprock Canyon (SE of Amarillo), and then to Big Bend (SE of El Paso). The landscape was absolutely beautiful. That is one big positive about America.

What bothered me more than anything was how it was next to impossible to find healthy food while on the road. Just about everything was greasy and fatty. The only food that was healthy in restaurants was something incredibly bland like a chicken breast and some brocolli and rice. That was the one healthy option on the menu and everything else was unhealthy junk. No wonder why so many people in the U.S. are fat!

I think the market is ripe for cheap, healthy fast food. Imagine if McDonald's used it's expertise to set up some kind of chain that sold tasty vegetable dishes and low fat grilled meat. Chicken is cheap for meat. Vegetables tend to be cheaper than meat. It is possible to make vegetables taste good.

McDonald's actually owned Chipotle for a while, but they went with a higher price for their food than what I have in mind, and they got hit really hard by E-coli outbreaks-- the same strain even though they sourced from different suppliers, and they couldn't figure out the source of every case. That hurt them bad.

My theory is there is enough demand for health food for chains of such restaurants to fill up intersections on interstates throughout the country. Probably, most people would prefer the junk food, but there are enough people on diets looking for decent healthy food, that I think it could work. Why hasn't this pent up demand been met yet?

[MrMan]

But what I don't get is why Americans are so afraid to travel alone? You don't even see super macho hyper masculine brave men traveling alone in America. They always have to be with someone. Why is that? Plus I don't see how you can find people to travel with in America. Most people are busy with work or family. And to travel with those already traveling in America, your schedule and theirs have to match up exactly and you have to get along with them too. I find Europeans much more willing to travel alone, but even so, they usually travel alone in Asia or some exotic place. You don't even see that many Europeans traveling alone in America.

I've seen solo fliers quite a bit. I see plenty of individuals in cars on the highway. That's something environmentalists complain about-- though its a bigger issue for morning commutes. Do you mean you don't see tourists by themselves going to touristy locations?

Travelling is seen as a social or family activity, though. Some people do not like to eat in restaurants alone. So the whole trip, they might eat burgers and fried chicken through drive-thrus on the road trip-- which is a problem mentioned in the OP.

I did a bit of solo travel when I was single, working abroad and going to a few places on break. But there were times I went site-seeing with a friend or groups of friends, and I much preferred that. It's more fun.

Also, if you are by yourself with a carry-on and a backpack while flying, you can't just leave your bags to go to the bathroom. if you have collected your big check-in luggage already, you have to leave it outside or ask someone to watch it. It's easier to travel with someone else or a group in this regard-- another responsible adult at least.

[statnerd]

But what I don't get is why Americans are so afraid to travel alone? You don't even see super macho hyper masculine brave men traveling alone in America. They always have to be with someone. Why is that? Plus I don't see how you can find people to travel with in America. Most people are busy with work or family. And to travel with those already traveling in America, your schedule and theirs have to match up exactly and you have to get along with them too. I find Europeans much more willing to travel alone, but even so, they usually travel alone in Asia or some exotic place. You don't even see that many Europeans traveling alone in America.

Many Americans are afraid to do just about anything alone. I know people who will not eat at a restaurant alone or go to a movie alone. I can't imagine having such a codependent mindset that you need to be surrounded by others just to make your way through everyday life.

[MrMan]

But what I don't get is why Americans are so afraid to travel alone? You don't even see super macho hyper masculine brave men traveling alone in America. They always have to be with someone. Why is that? Plus I don't see how you can find people to travel with in America. Most people are busy with work or family. And to travel with those already traveling in America, your schedule and theirs have to match up exactly and you have to get along with them too. I find Europeans much more willing to travel alone, but even so, they usually travel alone in Asia or some exotic place. You don't even see that many Europeans traveling alone in America.

Many Americans are afraid to do just about anything alone. I know people who will not eat at a restaurant alone or go to a movie alone. I can't imagine having such a codependent mindset that you need to be surrounded by others just to make your way through everyday life.

Going to a movie alone makes sense. I ate out alone, traveled alone, and went to movies alone quite a bit when I was single, but it was more fun to go do something with someone else or a group of people. Movies are not interactive and if you are going to actually watch the film, then it doesn't matter much if people are with you. I don't have time to go watch movies at the theater much these days and a lot of it is trash anyway. If I go out and do something fun, though, I think my kids would have a good time, so I'd rather take them to do something.

[Winston]

But what I don't get is why Americans are so afraid to travel alone? You don't even see super macho hyper masculine brave men traveling alone in America. They always have to be with someone. Why is that? Plus I don't see how you can find people to travel with in America. Most people are busy with work or family. And to travel with those already traveling in America, your schedule and theirs have to match up exactly and you have to get along with them too. I find Europeans much more willing to travel alone, but even so, they usually travel alone in Asia or some exotic place. You don't even see that many Europeans traveling alone in America.

I've seen solo fliers quite a bit. I see plenty of individuals in cars on the highway. That's something environmentalists complain about-- though its a bigger issue for morning commutes. Do you mean you don't see tourists by themselves going to touristy locations?

Travelling is seen as a social or family activity, though. Some people do not like to eat in restaurants alone. So the whole trip, they might eat burgers and fried chicken through drive-thrus on the road trip-- which is a problem mentioned in the OP.

I did a bit of solo travel when I was single, working abroad and going to a few places on break. But there were times I went site-seeing with a friend or groups of friends, and I much preferred that. It's more fun.

Also, if you are by yourself with a carry-on and a backpack while flying, you can't just leave your bags to go to the bathroom. if you have collected your big check-in luggage already, you have to leave it outside or ask someone to watch it. It's easier to travel with someone else or a group in this regard-- another responsible adult at least.

No I'm not talking about people in cars alone going to work. Of course I see that too.

Yes I mean tourists going by themselves to tourist destinations. Even to the Grand Canyon. Why are Americans so afraid to do that? They must be insecure. You say that it's because people don't like doing things by themselves. But if that's so then how come Europeans don't mind doing things by themselves, even going to a restaurant or movie alone? There's not a negative loser stigma attached to going out alone in other countries. No one dares to talk about this, not even on Reddit. But someone should. We seem to talk about stuff that even the outspoken crowd on Reddit or truther sites or new ager sites never talk about.

In America when I eat in restaurants alone I tend to be the only one. Everyone else is with someone. And even if there's a girl eating alone she is with her headphones and laptop and doesn't want to be bothered.

I don't see how you can find people to travel with in America. Everyone is busy with work or they have no money to travel, etc. Or their schedule is different than yours.

Small, rural towns with less than 2,000 people and national/state parks seem to have the happiest, nicest people in the U.S. Big cities and suburbs seem to have the most miserable, meanest people.

That's only true of small towns in the south. If you watch the movie "Smokey and the Bandit" with Burt Reynolds and Sally Fields, you also see southerners everywhere looking happy, funny, peppy, friendly, and talkative. But if you go to Oregon and Washington, the small towners there are nothing like that. They look like they don't want to be bothered, not even to make small talk, and look uptight in their body language and face and vibe. That's how northwesterners are. If you've been to Seattle or Portland you'll see what I mean, even in small towns there. You could go to small towns in California too outside of SF and LA, and you will see that people there aren't that friendly either. It's only in certain states that small towners are friendlier and will talk to strangers.

[Winston]

But what I don't get is why Americans are so afraid to travel alone? You don't even see super macho hyper masculine brave men traveling alone in America. They always have to be with someone. Why is that? Plus I don't see how you can find people to travel with in America. Most people are busy with work or family. And to travel with those already traveling in America, your schedule and theirs have to match up exactly and you have to get along with them too. I find Europeans much more willing to travel alone, but even so, they usually travel alone in Asia or some exotic place. You don't even see that many Europeans traveling alone in America.

Many Americans are afraid to do just about anything alone. I know people who will not eat at a restaurant alone or go to a movie alone. I can't imagine having such a codependent mindset that you need to be surrounded by others just to make your way through everyday life.

They have to it seems, because in America there is a loser stigma attached to going out alone. It feels awkward to do so, even to a movie or restaurant alone. When I do so, I feel awkward about it too.

But I wonder why I can do the same in Philippines or Europe or Russia and feel totally normal about it? When people are totally down to earth, they don't think there's a loser stigma attached to being alone. It's seen as normal. Mature down to earth people don't think that way.

However, Asia is similar to America in that Asians also tend to do things in groups and cliques and have no confidence being alone. That's why you'll never see a John Dunbar character like in the movie "Dances with Wolves", who hung out at a cabin fort alone in the prairie fields of South Dakota or Nebraska for 9 months, being Asian. Only white men have the confidence and love of solitude and peace and quiet to do that. Asians don't have that kind of confidence or individual consciousness to do things alone usually, especially being in the wilderness alone.

Going to a movie alone makes sense. I ate out alone, traveled alone, and went to movies alone quite a bit when I was single, but it was more fun to go do something with someone else or a group of people. Movies are not interactive and if you are going to actually watch the film, then it doesn't matter much if people are with you. I don't have time to go watch movies at the theater much these days and a lot of it is trash anyway. If I go out and do something fun, though, I think my kids would have a good time, so I'd rather take them to do something.

It does make sense. But try going to a movie alone in the US and you will see what I mean. Especially on a Friday or Saturday night. You will feel like a total loser because NO ONE else there, not even one person, will be alone. I did it once and felt like a total freak and loser, totally out of place. I'm surprised I didn't get dirty looks.

If you wanna do that though, do it in the early afternoon on a weekday where very few people go to the movies, then you won't feel like a loser since the theater is mostly empty and everyone is at work or school.

[MrMan]

But what I don't get is why Americans are so afraid to travel alone? You don't even see super macho hyper masculine brave men traveling alone in America. They always have to be with someone. Why is that? Plus I don't see how you can find people to travel with in America. Most people are busy with work or family. And to travel with those already traveling in America, your schedule and theirs have to match up exactly and you have to get along with them too. I find Europeans much more willing to travel alone, but even so, they usually travel alone in Asia or some exotic place. You don't even see that many Europeans traveling alone in America.

Many Americans are afraid to do just about anything alone. I know people who will not eat at a restaurant alone or go to a movie alone. I can't imagine having such a codependent mindset that you need to be surrounded by others just to make your way through everyday life.

They have to it seems, because in America there is a loser stigma attached to going out alone. It feels awkward to do so, even to a movie or restaurant alone. When I do so, I feel awkward about it too.

But I wonder why I can do the same in Philippines or Europe or Russia and feel totally normal about it? When people are totally down to earth, they don't think there's a loser stigma attached to being alone. It's seen as normal. Mature down to earth people don't think that way.

However, Asia is similar to America in that Asians also tend to do things in groups and cliques and have no confidence being alone. That's why you'll never see a John Dunbar character like in the movie "Dances with Wolves", who hung out at a cabin fort alone in the prairie fields of South Dakota or Nebraska for 9 months, being Asian. Only white men have the confidence and love of solitude and peace and quiet to do that. Asians don't have that kind of confidence or individual consciousness to do things alone usually, especially being in the wilderness alone.

Going to a movie alone makes sense. I ate out alone, traveled alone, and went to movies alone quite a bit when I was single, but it was more fun to go do something with someone else or a group of people. Movies are not interactive and if you are going to actually watch the film, then it doesn't matter much if people are with you. I don't have time to go watch movies at the theater much these days and a lot of it is trash anyway. If I go out and do something fun, though, I think my kids would have a good time, so I'd rather take them to do something.

It does make sense. But try going to a movie alone in the US and you will see what I mean. Especially on a Friday or Saturday night. You will feel like a total loser because NO ONE else there, not even one person, will be alone. I did it once and felt like a total freak and loser, totally out of place. I'm surprised I didn't get dirty looks.

If you wanna do that though, do it in the early afternoon on a weekday where very few people go to the movies, then you won't feel like a loser since the theater is mostly empty and everyone is at work or school.

For me, going to a movie seems like a big chunk of my time I could commit to other activities. If I did it, I would probably pick a kid-friendly movie and take the kids so I can see them have a good time. My wife might watch an occasional video, but she is more parsimonious with using time for leisure than I am, and does not care much for going out to movies these days. Redbox is cheaper and easier if we wanted to watch a movie, and there are online options.

If I am off away from my family, which I am sometimes these days for work, I may rarely eat out from time to time, but it's usually to pick something up fast. If I go out for something a bit nicer I want to take my wife or my kids because they are a part of my life, I want to spend time with them, and I want to have a good time with them, too. My wife cooks better than most restaurants, so if I want something that tastes good I can eat my wife's cooking, or take it with me if I am away if it is outside of my culinary abilities. If I am going to go get something nice to eat, I think maybe I'll wait, save money and time, and take the family out.

If you are the type to watch movies in the cinema a lot and you are married or dating, you would probably not want to watch a movie alone because the next time you go out, your girlfriend or wife might say, "I want to watch Panco Villa", and then you would have already seen it and you'd have to sit through a movie you've seen already, spending all that time and sort of wasting your money. I suppose you could watch two different movies at the same time, but that's socially lacking. Would watching different movies in different theaters from your girlfriend seem strange to you? Would it offset that Asian sense of harmony that is valued more in Eastern cultures than it is in the US? As an Asian American, do you get that more than white folks?

[jamesbond]

Many Americans are afraid to do just about anything alone. I know people who will not eat at a restaurant alone or go to a movie alone. I can't imagine having such a codependent mindset that you need to be surrounded by others just to make your way through everyday life.

I have noticed this too about Americans, they are scared to death to anything alone.