It’s a very sad commentary on an American culture in which we are surrounded by people every day yet we can go weeks and months without being embraced by anyone. One of the things that surprised me on a fairly recent trip to London was how often people hug you there and I mean people who were just meeting me for the first time.
It is just so sad that someone would have to pay for a hug.
I got some VERY angry and nasty replies from freepers when I pointed out that we Americans are not an affectionate society. Let me know how it goes for you.