7 Questions About America (from My Danish Husband) I Just Can’t Answer

Sometimes I’m just as puzzled as he is

Photo by Moises Alexon Unsplash

For a year and a half since moving to New York and then Los Angeles from his home country of Denmark, my husband has been asking me questions about this weird country of ours that I sometimes struggle to answer. It’s not that his questions are difficult. It’s just that I’m so used to the way things are here I don’t think to question it. But maybe I should.

Here are some of my favorites.

1. Why do doctors and nurses wear scrubs in the street?

We live in Santa Monica, California — a popular tourist destination, which is also (to our surprise) a home to many hospitals, as well as car dealerships. This means never a day goes by without seeing a used car salesman or a nurse or two. Scrubs are everywhere — in Starbucks, Target or a local pizza joint.

My husband looked puzzled first time he stood in line at the Rite Aid behind a man in scrubs: “Aren’t they supposed to be sterile?” I shrugged. In Europe, it would be very unusual to see a doctor parade in the supermarket wearing his work gown. But after years of watching medical personnel ride the subway in New York wearing scrubs, I stopped taking their uniform seriously. Maybe…