“No, Where Are You Really From?”
Dreaded words every Asian-American will hear at least once in their lives.
No matter how many times you hear it; it’s difficult not to cringe.
In this instance, my blood was boiling hot. For someone with a tanned face, Houston was not a good enough answer. Does this dude not recognize my American accent? My flyest of the fly American chic threads? My oh so cool grab my nutsack don’t give a fuck American swagger?
I quickly mulled him over. Neatly trimmed salt and pepper hair, Geraldo Rivera styled ‘stache, long sleeve plaid shirt, boat shoes and blue jeans. Typical married middle-aged midwestern white guy.
I surreptitiously rolled my eyes and decided to let it go. He doesn’t know me. He doesn’t know how I cried when I met Lee Greenwood when he let me sing God Bless the USA on stage with him. Or how my dad helped Americans dominate in space by designing space shuttle rocket boosters for NASA. Or how I have a gun-toting redneck cousin who proudly flies a Marine Corps flag on the rear windshield of his white pickup truck.
No sense in chastising the guy. After all, this was a thirteen-hour flight from Beijing to Chicago and we were stuck with each other as seat mates. I politely turned my head forward and closed my eyes to signal I was done talking.
Before I could fall asleep, he started to talk to me again.
“You know, I was really hoping you were Indian.”
“What?”
“Well I spent five years in India and I’ve been dying to practice my Hindi. I don’t remember much, but I think I can still make out a few phrases.”
Oh. Em. Gee. I was so heated from this guy asking me where I was originally from that I hadn’t give him an honest chance. Here he was, genuinely trying to connect with me, and I shot him down. He had zero intentions of offending me, as most do when they ask that question. Fuuuuck. I had been the one who was quick to judge. I felt low. I felt horrible. I was horrible.
I know better now to make that mistake again. Now when people ask me where I’m from, I say “I’m from Houston and ethnically from Bangladesh. How about you?”
(This is my first story on Medium. If you liked it please recommend it. Thanks ☺)
