I just finished reading a donated book. “Book donated by”…Todd Euston. For best experience, you need to read the passage in quotes as if it’s being read by the announcer for the Olympics. His voice introducing the Olympics inspired so much humor for me growing up. Spaahhnsaahd baahy!

Anyway, this book that Todd loaned was as he predicted, “right up my alley”. This guy is a British comedian that had returned from a tour in US pretty downtrodden about his experience. He felt like he had stayed in the “same” room, eaten the “same” food, and had a generally bland experience. As a fan of America, this was not alright. Pretty soon, the reason for his unhappiness was clear. America the romantic is a vision of small towns filled with Mom and Pop stores. It is full of people that have “pulled themselves up by their bootstraps”. This was what gave the US it’s culture, it’s je ne sais quoi… it’s gestalt! The book was a funny narrative about his journey from the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic Ocean. The only requirement that ruled this trip was that no penny could be spent at any business that was part of a chain. This included franchised and branded gas stations. It includes lodging and food. The screw ups are funny and the race for independent gas stations tense. The Author’s name is Dave Gorman and the title of the book is the title of this delicious blog post.

Chains aren’t evil and Corporate America creates a lot of positive in our culture that doesn’t get it’s due from day to day. However, when you immerse yourself in a chainless and TheMAN-less America, it reminds you of some pretty happy memories.