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Many American families we have encountered since moving here are dual-income families. And I'm convinced that, the vast majority of the time, it is not because they're greedy. It's not because they're materialistic. It's not because they don't want to spend time with their kids.

It's because the American dream is so insecure.

Things can go wrong, and frequently do. And when they do, there is comparatively minimal government support. So American residents feel the need to have a back-up source of income, in case one of them loses their job. This could also explain why Americans seem to work so much harder and longer than Australians; they are trying to make themselves indispensable to their employer.

American readers, do you think my interpretations are accurate?

Weird Foods IV: Speculoos Crunchy Cookie Butter

We probably never would have tried this stuff, but we were house- and dog-sitting for some of our American friends and they had some. It is very hard to describe; the jar says so. Allegedly it tastes a little like gingerbread with crushed biscuits. They recommend putting it on pancakes.

I tried it on bread. It was pleasant, but to me it just tasted like sweet semi-crunchy peanut butter.