The answer is they were a wealthy European concept brought to the colonies as a status symbol. They are still associated with wealthier people which raises property values, so are enshrined in local ordinances and HOA rules.

I thought Trump announced a plan of genocide to allow for his fantasy of bearded belly-dancers per the video he posted.

1. Track what you eat over a week.
2. Go pretend grocery shopping for those items and add up the costs.
3. If you want to save money, learn to cook and buy staples (rice, pasta, pinto beans) in bulk. Just ensure you have insect-proof containers for them.