how to water a cactus.

So, let me start off by saying this post isn't actually about how to water a cactus. Rather, it is about why someone would ask me how to water a cactus. A former colleague this week asked my boyfriend to ask me how often one should water a cactus. My first response was just to laugh and wonder why somebody would ask me how to water a cactus. But  then it occurred to me - I'm from the desert, where there are cacti, therefore I must know something about them. This led me to think about the assumptions we might make about people based on where they're from, and vice versa.

This is the kind of cactus that seems to be everywhere at my house - prickly pear.
http://bit.ly/zkoGSp

I then realized after my laughing fit that I might ask my boyfriend's parents - born and bred East Coasters - about the best fish and the best way to cook it. Wouldn't you ask a local anywhere the best place to eat, or anything that pertains the their town or state? Is it crazy to assume that people from Aspen might have a little more knowledge than most about the best skis? Now I know this is a generalization, but at some point we have all assumed this about someone else and someone else has assumed it about us. Rather than saying "Why would someone ask me that?", I will now take it as a point of pride if someone does ask me about succulents or other desert plants. After all, I do love where I am from and (mostly) everything about it.

P.S. For future reference, water a cactus every 1-2 weeks when the soil is bone dry, and water it a little bit at a time, without soaking the soil, until the soil is pretty damp.