Everything is bigger in America

I can't think of a single manufactured thing that is physically bigger in Europe that it is in America, except for magnums of wine. I just returned from a week in Spain and lugged two magnums back with me-- the only magnums I've seen Stateside are cheap, nasty bottles of plonk, retailing at less than 5 bucks, or else the bottles are empty Methuselahs of champagne in French restaurants.

I was in Spain in September visiting family and it was my first visit back to Europe since moving to NYC. I was struck by how small even the cars are! I've never owned a car and so know and undeerstand very little about their status/ upkeep/ insurance. Anyway, my step-father's Cherokee Jeep seemed a "normal" size, but I happen to know that this is a huge car by Euro standards. Occasionally you pass one of those vile Hummers, but that's not a car, it's a military tank. Over here in the US one of my sisters-in-law drives a Jetta and, from what I understand, this the car to drive if you are a hip 20-sthg girl in the US - but this is a 4-person family car by Euro standards! Twice I've been asked by curious Americans if that Smart car is really a car. I assume it is, but nothing could convince me to get behind the wheel of one, as one small accident and I might end up a double-amputee. But, at 6ft/ 1m 84 tall, I probably wouldn't fit inside anyway...

And on the subject of squeezing into tight spots, clothing sizes run larger, too, which means I have better luck finding longer trousers and shoes for my clodhopping UK 9/ US 11/ Euro 43 feet. I see more obesity in the US (although the UK seems to be catching up fast!) which might offer an explanation for more generous sizing in clothes, which can also be applied to the vast quantities of selection on a restaurant menu and, consequently, on your restaurant plate.

You can buy industrial-sized cartons of milk and juice in a corner shop that you'd normally find in a large suburban supermarket in London. Of course, fridges over here are huge (they are known as "American Fridges" in Europe) so can accommodate a gallon of OJ and a gallon of milk and a gallon of something else on only one shelf in your fridge door (how did I manage before?) Good luck finding one Stateside to fit under your kitchen countertop.

Even my pills are bigger here, which makes them harder to swallow without water. In Europe they come in a discreet strip, and the tablets themselves are glazed, sort of like M'n'Ms for cabbage patch dolls, and they share the same yellowish-grey CPK skin tone. Over here, they are almost the size of an aspirin, and the strip is contained in a palm-sized pink plastic box, which has 28 holes punched through on one side. It's monstruously indiscreet. (I've seen others, though, which are a similar shape and size to a pinwheel.)

There is a kind of convenience to buying in bulk. I like CostCo, but quickly learned that I'll need a couple of kids before I can fully take advantage of shopping there. Wonderman helps finish the milk and OJ before they turn sour, and a 5lb bag of frozen shrimp will last for a couple of months in the freezer, but I'm still working on striking the perfect balance between being economical without being wasteful. For now, I'm happier with my larger choice of not-all-completely-hideous super-size-me shoes.