Funny story about ethnicity

i have a funny story for you guys.

last year i was at work waiting for the elevator and a man, another employee of the hospital, comes up to says "can i ask you a question? my friend and I have a bet about you and want to ask you what ethnicity you are" so i laughed and said sure, not problem. he said to me "are you chinese and spanish" i laughed and told him, "you are not even close, i am italian and american indian" he apologized, i thought it was so funny! now whenever i see him in the hall he always laughs. i do have almond shaped eyes and people have asked me before if i am asian.

my question to you is......has someone ever asked you if you were a certain ethnicity and not even close?

Re: Funny story about ethnicity

oh yeah, all the time, people always think I am asian too.
There was one time these two girls came behind me on the line for the train and started asking me something in their native language, i politely told them, I only speak English, sorry.

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I used to get you have to have black in you cause of my hair. alot of years ppl thought i was mixed. Than I used to get Dominican.

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Not me...

BUT...

My eldest daughter has Mosaic Down Syndrome. In a nutshell, and for lack of a better definition, it means that she is half "normal" and half Down Syndrome..people have often asked me if my ex DH is of Asian decent b/c of her almond shaped eyes...

She's also very dark haired and eyed too..so I guess that adds to it.

(there are pics of her in my album..she's Ariel)

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I was asked if I was jewish by someone in an eyeglass store because apparently my eyes are close-set.

I'm sorry, I though the cross and St Gerard medal around my neck were a giveaway

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I get Irish a lot (pale skin and freckles), and when I tell them I am Jewish, they tell me that I must be mistaken-I didn't realize I didn't know my own ethnicity I get Italian too at times.

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I don't really look ethnic, so I get a lot of different ones that are way off. The best one was Portuguese.

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I am Sicilian and have olive skin - at least once a day someone comes up to me speaking Spanish. When I tell them that I am not Spanish, I get "are you sure?"

Re: Funny story about ethnicity

Posted by Shorty

I was asked if I was jewish by someone in an eyeglass store because apparently my eyes are close-set.

I'm sorry, I though the cross and St Gerard medal around my neck were a giveaway

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People often think I'm italian- I'm not- not even a little.

I'm french-canadian, irish and hungarian

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i'm half cuban half dominican

i've been asked if i'm "white", especially after they hear me speak (no accent).

i've also been asked if i'm from different latin countries... people SWEAR i'm colombian or puerto rican. but the assumptions are never so far off that i have to laugh... i guess i do, in fact, look hispanic

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I get Puerto Rican all the time.

Once I even got Egyptian

Very few people can tell I am Sicilian.

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Posted by Tilde

I am Sicilian and have olive skin - at least once a day someone comes up to me speaking Spanish. When I tell them that I am not Spanish, I get "are you sure?"

Re: Funny story about ethnicity

Posted by SIBride06

Posted by Tilde

I am Sicilian and have olive skin - at least once a day someone comes up to me speaking Spanish. When I tell them that I am not Spanish, I get "are you sure?"

We are in the same boat!

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I have reddish brown hair, green eyes, pale skin, and about a trillion freckles. I think I'm pretty obviously all Irish.

ONCE in my life, someone asked me if I was Italian. When I said no, they didn't believe me. When I said I was Irish, they were dumbfounded. I thought they were kidding. They were not. I'm still over that one.

Everyone assumes my DH is all Irish, too - red hair, fair skin, blue eyes. He's a quarter Irish, so people always say "Oh that explains the red hair." Um, not really. He gets that from the Italian side.

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I am half Irish and half Italian. I have a medium skin tone and blue/green/grey eyes. I get VERY dark VERY quickly if I'm out in the sun.

About 15 years ago, I spent every single day at the beach. I worked at a Baskin Robbins at night. I was extremely tan (when I get tan, my eyes totally pop). A customer sheepishly approached me and said "Forgive me, but I just have to ask... Were you born that way? You know, African American with those eyes?" I just chuckled and told him what nationality I was. He felt like an azz.

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Posted by Kara

I have reddish brown hair, green eyes, pale skin, and about a trillion freckles. I think I'm pretty obviously all Irish.

ONCE in my life, someone asked me if I was Italian. When I said no, they didn't believe me. When I said I was Irish, they were dumbfounded. I thought they were kidding. They were not. I'm still over that one.

Everyone assumes my DH is all Irish, too - red hair, fair skin, blue eyes. He's a quarter Irish, so people always say "Oh that explains the red hair." Um, not really. He gets that from the Italian side.

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People always think i'm Irish because of my freckles and light skin. I'm German and Portugese.

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I'm half Italian and half Irish (American). People usually think I am Spanish. I honestly don't think I look Italian or Irish so I guess I could understand. Usually people just start talking to me in Spanish and I'm like
I have almond shapped eyes...that could be it. I'm as pale as they come though!

Re: Funny story about ethnicity

Posted by Tilde

Posted by Kara

I have reddish brown hair, green eyes, pale skin, and about a trillion freckles. I think I'm pretty obviously all Irish.

ONCE in my life, someone asked me if I was Italian. When I said no, they didn't believe me. When I said I was Irish, they were dumbfounded. I thought they were kidding. They were not. I'm still over that one.

Everyone assumes my DH is all Irish, too - red hair, fair skin, blue eyes. He's a quarter Irish, so people always say "Oh that explains the red hair." Um, not really. He gets that from the Italian side.

While I don't really understand that reaction there is a very small portion of Norhern Italians that are known for those features!

Message edited 3/18/2009 9:31:04 AM.

Re: Funny story about ethnicity

nope... people KNOW I'm some kind of western European decent. I look like a cookie cutter Caucasian.

I think someone asked if I was Jewish once

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I am 100% Italian, but i get a bunch a different things. I find that I get mistaken based on the ethnicity of the person asking. Hispanic people always ask if i am hispanic. I find that African American people mistake me for Jewish alot. When i am in Italy, Italians have no problem identifying me as Italian. It is very interesting.

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Mostly I get asked about my son. He is olive toned, dark eyes, and very dark, very thick course hair. On many occasions I have been asked if my DH is African American. or if my children have different fathers because my daughter is fair skinned and blue eyed.


I have also been mistaken for being spanish

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I thought Jewish was a religion, not an ethnicity.
Do people say they are cathloic, muslim etc.....???????
When people ask what I am I say, I'm Russian AND German.
If they want to know my religion, then I will tell them am Jewish.

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Hell Yeah!lol. I am from Eastern Europe. I have olive complexion, very black hair, brown eyes. Ever since coming to this country 11 years ago , I have been asked(I am asked) if I am am: Middle Eastern,Persian,Indian, Greek,Italian, Armenian,Brazilian( ) Spanish, from Israel(
)
I guess I just have a very Universal look
It can be sooo annoying sometimes.
I remember when 9/11 happened there were cases when I got "that look" from some people on the train
But I got used to it by now and don't pay attention to it any more(or I try not to)
Oh One time I was filling out the application for somethings and I checked white/Caucasian , when I gave it back to the person she actually had the nerve to say to me" excuse me but I think you made a mistake here" and when I said no I DID NOT she asked if I was sure

Message edited 3/18/2009 9:41:28 AM.