Stranger and Stranger

[ivyfic]

I rode the elevator up to the office yesterday morning with a lawyer for the NY district court (their offices are two floors above ours). He's Japanese and it seems English is his second language. As we were going up, he looked at me and said, "Are you Japanese?"

?!

I replied, "Do I look Japanese?"

As anyone who's ever seen me knows, if I were any whiter I'd be Wonder Bread. But he kept pressing. He said, "Maybe - your grandmother?"

I replied, "No, I'm completely English." But he wouldn't let it drop! He kept asking if one of my grandparents was Japanese until finally the doors opened on my floor and I stepped out.

I am so confused. I in no way look, sound or act Japanese. I have no idea why he would assume I was Japanese. Don't get me wrong, I'm not offended - when I was little I desperately wanted to be Japanese - I'm just kerfuffled.

Comments

[arcane-the-sage.livejournal.com]

Well this is a really outside chance, but perhaps he thought you were Aniu (or at least part Aniu). At least this offers the possibility of him not being completely out his mind.