There’s a hilarious Reddit post I always come back to, where an American was pining for a delicious loaf of bread that he bought on a whim in Australia. Said it was the best bread he’s ever had. Fresh, tasty, nothing like what he had back home. After some prodding by the commenters it became evident that it was a standard loaf of supermarket-brand white bread. But it’s still better than the ‘it’s just a crappy cake’ bread that he was used to in the US.

Now Australia’s food quality is pretty damn good compared to most other countries, but it’s just as much if not more of an indication that the average quality of food in the US is abysmal. From the week or so I’ve spent in the US, in a major coastal city, as a ‘rich’ person seeking good food, I’ve gotta say that this is my belief.

So in short I don’t think that many Americans are getting decent bread.

They probably aren't getting decent bread. Grocery store bread is mostly crap and/or ridiculously overpriced (like $6 for a mid-sized loaf of 'brioche' with more sugar than butter), and bakeries are much less common than grocery stores.

A friend nearby got into making bread during the pandemic. Before that, I’d have decent bread for a day or two after shopping and then sandwich bread.

American milk is very pasteurized and might last a month before being opened. But I think I’m mildly lactose intolerant anyway, can’t stand the stuff.

Not from the US or Europe, but I buy fresh bread and store it frozen. It comes back quite well.

Freezer for bread and there’s hardly a need to drink cow milk regularly.