I was speaking of America in a general sense.
Not us.
I know. And don’t let’s fight. But - and you may disagree! - there is no America in a general sense, unless you’re referring to our system of government or like that. Too big, too diverse, too hard to stuff into neat “this is them” boxes.
3 Likes
My friend had a basset hound who I’m sure qualified as baggy.
2 Likes
There ARE things that most or all Americans have in common.
There IS such a thing as the average American.
But the things in common are fewer, and the average much less instructive, than one might hope.
But beyond those not-very-fruitful things, there is statistics, and despite the dislike people often profess for that field, statistical information is often truly useful. To start with the potentially inflammatory point that was already raised, it makes no difference how many svelte little anecdotes any of us can find, the evidence indeed shows that what bbqboy originally said is (comparatively) right; in general, Americans are fat compared to people in other countries. This doesn’t automatically mean it’s a good or a bad thing, but it DOES mean it’s pointless to try to argue that they’re not.
Nobody ever thought “Americans are fat” meant every last person in the country, and it’s disingenuous to pretend that anyone would.
Disclaimer (or is it “claimer”?): I am close enough to be called American, and close enough to be called fat.
I’d like to hear more about that! I swear , nothing comes to my mind with any confidence. I guess we all want to feel different or special.
My husband came up with an answer, so I’m guessing others do too.
I found this from 2018 Wapo. If this is average, maybe I AM special!
One more.
“As Mark Twain famously wrote, “travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” So as an exercise, let’s leave our proverbial “bubbles,” and compare our lives to that of the “average” American in 2019— we’ll call her Annie.”
But right now; no traveling. 
I especially like this;
" Perhaps most relatably, she also believes that she is smarter than the average person"
It actually says the average American, but I thought this was funny, and I think I’m funnier than average person.
3 Likes
Have you tried it quick pickled? There was a terrific recipe highlighted on CH a few years back which is now made at least weekly in our house.
1 Like
The average American is: add together ALL the characteristics of ALL Americans. Now divide by 330,000,000. *
It exists because it can’t not exist. But it isn’t useful for anything.
_
* That’s not an accurate description, but who cares, the real description is just as pointless.
Okay.
How about this?
Comparing mean, median, and mode.
" Symmetrical distribution includes some large observations, some small observations and some observations fall in between. For example, the age distribution of a group of residents in Bloomington/Normal probably follows symmetrical distribution. There are some kids, some elder people and then mostly are people of adulthood, so the frequency polygon will look like a bell-shaped curve as shown below. In a symmetrical distribution, mean and median are very close to each other, so you can use either of them as a representation of the average ."
1 Like
All that becomes interesting (or not) in different ways.
For example, the median income (list every person’s income in order from largest to smallest, then choose the one in the exact middle of the list) gives a noticeably different answer than the mean income (add everyone’s income together, then divide by how many people), because those few unimaginably rich people really cause the mean to turn out skewed.
The mean is what’s traditionally meant by the word “average”, but when you’re trying to learn something from numbers, you have to use those numbers that have something to teach you. Sometimes the mean is it, other times it isn’t.
Yes. I think my last post means I need to work on my sleep hygiene.
Edited to remove the…" yeah, but…"
Sure. But it’s not possible to make a sweeping but still accurate statement about America based on the characteristics of the average American. And it’s even LESS possible to do so based on a few (still unidentified, as far as I know) pictures one finds on a message board.
1 Like
This reads like a dating website profile 
4 Likes
I’ve found my notes of our last lunch at this place. There were three courses (and three choices at each course). Cost was €11, including bread, olives, wine & water. We ate:
Starters - Broad bean and meat soup. And Tumbet topped with a fried egg. (Think of tumbet as a sort of local ratatouille, with potatoes, aubergine, peppers, tomatoes)
Main - fillet of sole, with fried potatoes and salad. And chicken leg & rice
Dessert - this was only described as “pudding”, on both the menu descriptions in Mallorquin and Castillian. It was, indeed, like a British bread and butter pudding (although using a sweet bread).
1 Like
I doubt whether anyone travelling through America could fail to notice, appreciate and enjoy its size and diversity. It is the country I visit that I find most “foreign” to me, even allowing for the fact that we speak the same language.
By contrast, I live on a small cold island off the coast of mainland Europe. It’s not as big as Kansas, with a population 1/5th that of America and none of us live more than 75 miles from the coast.
4 Likes
Fairly priced.
Yes, Tumbet, is a type of Mallorquin classic, Ratatouille crossed with a vegetable stew
You worded it well. Not very common on Mainland.
That is a “Expat” dessert ! Ha Ha … They must have alot of British residents and visitors.
Glad that you enjoyed. For 11 €uros - fair deal …
1 Like
In fairness we can fit a lot more in Alaska!!! Keep coming Europe we have more room!!!
1 Like
If you like maps of the USA (among other countries) these really do make you stop and think. Not in the political red vs blue sense but the size of LA vs most of the rest of the US is just crazy, Map 4.
5 Likes
Proud to be a # 17 !!! Woooohoooo!!!
3 Likes
What an average American (or Canadian) looked like in 2018 looks amazing compared to what an average American (or Canadian) looks like in mid Jan 2021 
Good thing filters for Zoom and other apps exist lol.
2 Likes
