Are You Chinese?

Are you Chinese?

Whenever asked if I am a Chinese or not, the first thought that comes into my mind is to reply with a stern face-- “No.”

Well, that would be a lie. I am Chinese. I was born in Taipei, and lived in Shanghai for ten years, and am currently studying in Philadelphia. So, yes, I am an international student, or, what some people may refer as, a fob.

It is similar to the reason why Amy calls herself “Fat Amy,” I sometimes put on the FOB tag only because I know that is how some Americans refer to foreigners from time to time.

Every now and then, I am offended by the question and desperate to answer, “No, I am from New Jersey.” One American-born Chinese high school classmate of mine shared that she once was asked this question and answered Texas, which is true. However, the person who raised this question refused to believe and responded, “Haha, funny! Now, really, where are you from? Taiwan?”

Some may think, “What’s the big deal? Are you ashamed of your ethnicity?” Well, here are some of my opinions on this question.

Why Not?

For at least two reasons, this question is not the greatest way of conversing with a foreigner who is not your BFF yet.

1. You put yourself in danger of appearing as a racist.
   There is the possibility that the foreigner will end up asking why you asked despite right or wrong. Then how do you answer? Unless you assumed so only because you heard the foreigner speak Chinese and identified the language, or else you probably will end up in the discussion of "you look like a Chinese." That further leads you to explaining what Chinese people look like. Small eyes? Short height? Just save the awkwardness.
   
   
2.  Let’s face it, only Asians can tell themselves apart.
   Don't ever assume an Asian you meet is Chinese, though you will most likely be right because of the overpopulation of Chinese. However, Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean, Japanese, Filipino, and other Asians all have their complicated and hard to explain relationships with one another. So, even if you guess right, refer to #1, and if you don't, you may be in big trouble...

Alternative questions:

Well, not being able to ask this one specific question does not mean you will never be able to find out about an individual's ethnicity. You can always ask. Don't assume. Just Ask. You will never embarrass yourself by asking rather than assuming the wrong thing.

• Where are you from?
• Where are your parents from?

What I have been experimenting recently is let the other person finish my sentence. My question would be something like this:

• "So you’re from--"

The awkward silence that follows my fragment signals the other person to fill in the blank. The truth is people's reflexes are not as fast as I expected them ought to be. So I would recommend you stick with the straightforward but polite question.

Preview for the next week: A new blog entry, "Am I Using the Chopsticks Right?," will be added to the category of Frequently Asked Questions next Tuesday around noon! =)