I’m not from India – The complex begins

I come from a part of the country where if you’re not white you’re Hispanic. It’s like on Harold and Kumar, where the KKK see an Indian and a Korean guy and yell Mexicans!

So now as an adult, I’ve traveled a bit. For work, I went to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, and they all thought I was Indian. When I told some people at work I was going to India, I got asked if I had family there. No biggie.

Then I went to India. They thought I was Indian. They kept speaking Hindi to me. Okay. That was odd.

On vacation, we spent some time in London. On the flight home (london to Chicago to Seattle).. This was an actual conversation while I was waiting to use the bathroom:

Random Dude on the Plane: So are you flying through London?

Me: No, I’m flying through Chicago to Seattle.

RDotP: I mean did you come from London?

Me: Uh. Yes. We all did.

RDotP: Did you spend time there, or where you coming from somewhere else?

Me: Yes, I spent a week there

RDotP: Cause I thought you might have been flying from India.

Me: Ah. I’ve been getting that a lot lately. Everyone seems to think I’m Indian for some reason.

RDotP: (after a long pause) Well, you definitely can’t be Hispanic

Me: I am Hispanic

RDotP: Well, you don’t look it

Me: I do have a bit of Italian in me. My Great grandfather was Sicilian

RDotP: Well, Hispanic and Italian don’t make you look Indian

Me: Apparently it does.

…Very odd in flight conversation.

Comments

  1. AlexandraOctober 19, 2009 at 6:36 AM

    It never ceases to amaze me the boldness some have when it comes to questioning ethnicity! Thanks for sharing, Ed! Too funny!

    ReplyDelete

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