5 Small but Alarming Things My Danish Husband Noticed in the U.S. This Week
Locked up deodorants and other disturbing sights
In his everyday life in America, my husband from Denmark can’t help but notice a few oddities here and there. Some of them harmless, others a bit concerning.
This week, he collected a few observations that I can’t help but share here.
While seemingly innocent, these little things might be pointing to bigger problems in our society.
Here are some of them.
1. Locked up goods in stores
My husband walked into a Rite Aid the other day and found out that in America, you can tell a lot about a neighborhood (and the whole country) by the items that get “locked up” in its convenience stores.
When he found the entire supply of Old Spice products hidden behind glass doors, my husband pulled the handle only to find out the doors were locked. After pushing and pulling for some time, he realized he had to call a store associate to open it.
“What is this, a deodorant jail?” he asked me later.
I did my best to explain that in America, we trust people so little that we have to put alarms on just about everything, from our houses to our toiletries.
“Between metal fences and locked up toothbrushes, you really feel like you’re in a Third World country here,” my husband noticed.
I could see his point.
“It’s not good for the society when you’re so often reminded that you’re not to be trusted,” he concluded.
2. Giant trash cans
We went trash can shopping the other day, looking for something to put under the sink, and my husband noticed something so obvious for the first time — we in America are obsessed with giant trash cans.
It’s not until you visit Europe, or talk to a European, that you understand how odd those enormous garbage cans people display in their kitchens here are.
“Trash is something that belongs under the sink, not on display,” my husband pointed out,
Yes, that means daily trips to the dumpster, but most Europeans wouldn’t have it any other way.
“This must be an overconsumption and packaging issue,” my husband pointed out.
Surely, if our family of five can survive with one tiny bin, most of America can.
3. Tax evasion strategies
Our American friend has recently given us a lesson on how to use Quickbooks, which was nice. Yet ten minutes into the session, we realized that the lesson was really about “writing off” as many transactions as possible in order to pay fewer taxes.
“What is this write-off everyone’s talking about?” my husband asked me when he was first settling in in America.
He only learned the word, and the meaning behind it, here in the U.S.
In my husband’s home country of Denmark, people not only pay their (very high) taxes but actually enjoy doing so. In fact, it’s common for all Scandinavians to say that they don’t mind their high taxation rates because they trust their governments to use the money wisely. Which they do.
In America, my husband was shocked to find out how much time and effort is spent on trying to avoid paying taxes. Not just by rich people but by everyone who can get away with it.
“When your country’s main tax collector is one of the country’s most hated institutions, there’s a serious reason behind that,” he concluded.
4. Water that’s more expensive than soda
My thirsty husband went to the gas station the other day to buy some water, only to come out with a bottle of Coke. I was surprised, since he doesn’t usually drink sodas.
“It was cheaper than water!” he explained.
Indeed, I so often notice that despite all the talk about the importance of drinking water in America, sodas are still our favorite beverage. Followed by a large variety of “healthy” but sugary drinks.
“It seems like everyone is drinking something all the time in America,” my husband laughed.
He was also surprised by both the lack of public water fountains and the prices for single bottles of water. Many of the drinking fountains that did exist never reopened after the pandemic.
“When the country’s favorite drink is also a toilet cleaner, you got a problem,” my husband laughed.
5. Watching a movie while driving
The other day, we were on the highway outside of Los Angeles when we noticed a guy driving next to us and having a heated discussion on a video call while holding his phone with one hand and steering with the other.
“This is some scary stuff,” my husband complained and passed the guy as quickly as possible.
If only this was a one-time occasion.
After driving in and out of Los Angeles for a year and a half, we’ve seen it all: drivers applying make-up and deodorant, shaving, drinking, eating, fighting, watching movies on their iPads, playing with pets on their lap, and just about everything in between.
“People are way too comfortable in their cars in America,” my husband laughed.
Surely, when you spend that much time in your car, you have no choice but to get comfortable. But that, according to my husband, is not a good thing.
“No wonder there are so many accidents. People barely watch where they’re going,” he complained.
“Your car is a dangerous vehicle, not your couch!” my husband concluded.
My dear husband is a never-ending source of witty observations about life in the U.S. Surely, when you move to a new country in your 40s, you’re doomed to stick out and take note.
Tune in next week for more complaints and compliments to this weird country of ours.