Vaguely Asian

I am a WASP through-and-through, with the possible exception of European Aryans, my people are the whitest of the white, and I'm 6'3". So a few years ago, when the UrClown got it in his head that I was of Chinese descent, I scoffed. But he's convinced of it and he has even managed to get his wife on board.

The other day I went to the deli to get iced coffee. The same two women have been working the registers every day for years. One is Asian, the other likely Mediterranean, probably Greek. The Asian doesn't speak, she just nods and smiles, her co-worker is chatty, in heavily accented, slightly broken English.

As she handed me my coffee the non-Asian asked, apropos of nothing, if I was Chinese. I doubled over laughing, "No."

"What's so funny? Are you Japanese?"

More laughter, "No."

She turned to her co-worker, palms up, brow arched. Her Asian co-worker smiled and nodded. I walked out, still laughing.


This morning I was late getting to work and so was late getting my coffee, but when I finally showed up, the inquisitive one gestured to her colleague and said, "She thought maybe you no come back, she say because I call you Chinese."