This is the second response episode for my new segment “Ask Jewells Anything About Iceland”. Thank you to everyone who sent in questions and if you would like to submit a question, you can do it here.

1. “What do Icelanders generally like and dislike about Americans?” – Garrett

In general, I’d say that Icelanders don’t have a lot of dislikes when it comes specifically to Americans. It is more like dislikes of tourist in general. So, if you are respectful of the the people and language, Icelanders are very open to those who want to visit.

That being said, there are some things that come up that can be a little bothersome for Icelanders that wouldn’t be considered as strange in the US.

The first that comes to mind is that many Americans are not comfortable showering naked before entering the swimming pool. The changing rooms are separated by gender. In order to not use as much chlorine in the local swimming pools, showering without your bathing suit on is a requirement.

Americans are the largest group of tourists to Iceland and kind of shy when it comes to this rule, so it is normally assumed that a person is from the US if they try to skip showering naked before entering the pool.

Also, many Icelanders don’t agree with how the political system in the US is set up. I mentioned this in my last ask me anything answers, that only having two political parties to choose from for higher political offices is a strange and foreign thing to Icelanders.

Things Icelanders like a lot about the US during World War 2 and it was shut down in 1994. During those decades, the US’s influence on Icelandic culture exponentially grew. Icelander’s like American TV shows, food like pizza, burgers and fries, as well as celebrities, other media, and trends.

2. “On my recent trip to Iceland, I didn’t see any Dolly Parton imagery. Does the amazing Ms. Parton have any major influence on the country and does Iceland have a favorite Dolly song?” – Rob

Dolly Parton is certainly beloved by many in Iceland, as she is around the world. It is not often that you will see posters of American or even foreign celebrities in Iceland unless it is promoting a concert or a product.

It might surprise some people to know that a decent number of Icelanders like country music. It makes sense when you think about how most of Iceland is like a rural place with lots of farmland in the US than a bustling city.

My guess for favorite Dolly song is Jolene but a close second might be 9 to 5. Since Dolly Parton has been iconic as a performer and song writer, and Iceland has a ton of musical artists, there is no doubt in my mind that she has influenced many people here.

3. “Ha ha the motherland! Just stumbled upon your podcast. Most of my family lives there still! My grandpa was Air Force back when Kelkajvik had an Air Foce base. Don’t they have the best hotdogs? Have you done well watching tour yet? My cousin Owns a company that does it, haven’t been back in 8 years, need to leave America before it Darkens my soul. Watch out for them elves the old father is watching” – Nat

Hi Nat. This is such a fun share. I do believe that Iceland has some of the best hot dogs, if not the best. Granted, I have not eaten a hot dog made from an animal in almost 9 years but I remember it being tasty and many visitors attest to this as well. One awesome thing is that the vegan version is delicious too.

Yes, I have been whale watching in Húsavík in North Iceland with a company called North Sailing.

I hope you do come back to visit in the near future.

Yes, the elves are all around us. While I try to be mindful of them, the trolls are the ones I am most concerned about.

4. “Hi Jewells, I would like to know more about how you learned Icelandic. Your pronunciation sounds like native to me!