In A State Of Confusion, Part 9
We are an English couple on holiday in the USA driving down the Florida Keys. Unfortunately, my husband has come down with cold/flu symptoms, so we stop at a well-known pharmacy chain to get him some medicine.
We pick up some paracetamol and some cough medicine. The cashier asks us for ID; apparently, in the US, you have to show ID to purchase cough medicine, which is not a legal requirement in the UK. I give the cashier my UK driving licence and she starts inputting the details into the till.
Cashier: “I don’t recognise this licence. Which state are you from?”
Me: “I’m not from the US; I’m from the United Kingdom.”
Cashier: “So, what state is that in?”
Me: “It’s not a state. It’s a country.”
Cashier: “Never heard of the UK.”
Me: “I am British, from England. Have you heard of England?”
Cashier: “You mean like New England? So you’re from Massachusetts?”
Me: “No, England as in part of Great Britain, or the United Kingdom.”
Cashier: “Well, the system doesn’t recognise any of those as a US state.”
Me: “That’s because it’s not a state. It’s a country.”
Cashier: “Which state is it near to, Hawaii?”
Me: “Forget it. We’ll just take the paracetamol.”
Related:
In A State Of Confusion, Part 8
In A State Of Confusion, Part 7
In A State Of Confusion, Part 6
In A State Of Confusion, Part 5
In A State Of Confusion, Part 4
