In case you were wondering, I’m of Venezuelan, Chinese, French and Portuguese descent with maybe a couple more mixed in there too (or more simply put, Trinidadian). Especially when I used to be a little bar-hopper in my university days, I would get so annoyed by getting asked this question every night. I felt frustrated because I was born and raised Canadian and very much identify with this nationality, but people couldn’t seem to accept that as an answer. As I got older I realized that despite the question not always coming out quite right, it was coming from a place of curiosity more than anything else. (Though I will admit it was quite fun to see the guys squirm and try to rephrase over and over again exactly what they were trying to say.) They were usually asking because they thought we had something in common. I'm most often pegged as Lebanese, Indian, Spanish, or “some kind of black”.
So tell me... my “ethnic” / visible minority / non-white readers out there... do you get asked this question all the time? How do you respond?
On the other hand, does this ever happen in reverse where someone automatically assumes they know where you’re from?
Linking up with Heather from Fiery and Opinionated for this week's edition of It's Friday and I'm Just Sayin'...
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Haha - that video is too funny! Very clever.
ReplyDeletelol thanks aimee!
DeleteI can totally relate! I'm half Filipino, half Vietnamese (with a bit of Spanish and Chinese mixed in there as well), and people always attempt to guess where I'm from - which ends in 8/10 guesses being wrong. Its funny that "where are you from?" has become the standard pick up line.
ReplyDeleteKatherine
www.ourmode.ca
Hey Katherine! I agree, when did that become the go-to pick up line for those of us non-white girls... or maybe it's just an Ottawa thing??
DeleteToo funny! So I knew you were mixed and honestly I guessed "some kind of black". I don't ask people where they're from though. I just wait and see if they offer. :-) Sorry I was wrong.
ReplyDeleteMo
haha nothing to apologize for Mo! I usually won't ask people either unless I'm travelling and/or curious about their accent or something specific. Like Katherine said above, it just seems like a pick up line these days.
Deletethanks so much for linking up!! i love this post. i'm just plain old white girl looking, so i don't get asked this myself - but i hear other people ask it ALL the time and think it's ridiculous. you ARE from canada. your ethnicity is not 'where you're from'!
ReplyDeleteI know right?!! Thank you! And as I'm sitting here enjoying my little "freedom time" with a drink of my own you have me laughing with your "plain old white girl looking" comment lol. I love this linkup idea Heather and will definitely be back in the future :)
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