While his wife adores the shopping services in America Bryson attrackts attention on the missing capacities, like health service, for example.

But Bryson adds that there are indeed a few things he can´t do without, for example a garbage disposal, which he claims as very practical and amusing. But Bryson also criticises that Americans invented a lot of ingenious patents no one actually needs, like basements because they are completely useless. Almost every house in America has a Basement but it´s nether used for leisure maintenance nor as a playroom for kids. Bryson wonders why so many people have a basement although it´s actually just nothing more than a lot of wasted space.

For Bryson this is just another curious phenomenon of American´s “unsung household life”.