Speaking of beans, ever had 13 bean soup, or one of the other various numeric deviations? Most excellent stuff. Much better than a soup of just one variety of bean, don't ya think? Not that you really care for every type of bean in there, but the variety is the thing, and even if you happen to get a spoonful that has one of your lesser favorites, there is probably one you like close enough to make it tolerable. Well, to me, that is kind of how this ole U S of A is. We are just a big pot O' beans. I suspect that, in time, you could learn to like just about any kind of bean, but you will probably always prefer what you are used to. And, sometimes, you discover an new bean that you like and it becomes your new favorite. It can happen. Of course, you also have the option of modifying the flavor of the beans if they don't suit you, with, say, a little salt or hot sauce, or a few chunks of ham. That is to say, you do have some limited control over how you "experience" your particular environment. Not saying you should necessarily fire up a Ricky Skaggs CD in the midst of a bunch of bunch of bluebloods, but you can usually find some way of adapting. Having said that, truly, there's no place like home.