The urbanites just can imagine how anyone can survive without the “conveniences” of the city. Worse yet, they can’t even imagine that someone would want to. If we don’t want the same as they do its because there is something wrong with us.
I’ve never been to a Starbucks or Tim Hortons. In my 50 years I’ve been on a bus once and a train once and have never been on a plane. I’ve never lived with city water, a municipal trash service or electricity provider. Those urban services are tax creators that I can’t control.
Out here, I can control my costs through choices and conservation on my own. I can choose from a half dozen different trash pick up services that all have a half dozen different service packages. I don’t have a water meter and I don’t have a base rate to pay for water. I can use as much or as little water as I choose because I pay for the electricuty to pump it.
I do live in a “food desert” but that’s fine too. I grow or buy 75% of my vegetables at the farm down the road. I make a trip to the outskirts of town about once a month and buy meat, sugar, salt etc.
I think you summed it up pretty well. They can't understand why people wouldn't want marginally potable water piped in (even though they drink bottled water) and spend fortunes on filters to fix the tap water.
What I find peaceful and refreshing, they find to be a traumatic decompression of absence of stimuli. They even go "camping" with TV and a boom box (ipod, now) and a host of things to light up the night around their RV.
I miss the days of my youth when we could catch a couple of fish (no license required) and build a fire and cook and eat them on the spot...but the rules of the people who live in what I regard as urban hives extend far beyond the limits of their habitations. Unfortunately, the anthills rule the savannah. (well, when they are looking, anyway.)(8^D)