Not sure where he's been, but as far as I can tell from Google, they're not that uncommon, at least in Norway. Own experience is also that most people seem to have a separate freezer in addition to a fridge, so there's not always a need for a combination of the two.

Most of the things he mention doesn't really hold truth, at least not where I live. Go outside the cities, and you'll find plenty large houses. As for AC and pools...parts of Europe doesn't really need the first, and the second is also kind of luxurious, at least to me. I've got a 5 minute walk to a fresh water beach when the temperature is high enough, and when it's not I really don't want to be in the water outside at all...