So there's this funny phenomenon that only occurs in Utah for me. And we all know that Utah has it's own culture out here. I was at a 7 eleven getting a coffee, when the guy behind the counter asked me where I was from. My initial response was to say Seattle, but I knew he didn't want to hear I was from somewhere in the US. If you look anything besides wonderbread white here in Utah, they want to know what your ethnicity is. So I told him I was from Japan, and he seemed satisfied. I wanted to ask him where he as from as well, but I already assumed he was from India. Well, to be fair, he looked Indian,.....and he WAS working at a 7 eleven afterall. Don't you guys watch the Simpsons? Anyway, I remember people at BYU asking me, "Where are you from?", "What nationality are you?", and the clencher....."What's in you?"......that was the most ignorant for sure. It was weird because people in Seattle hardly ever asked what nationality or ethnic origin I was. I think they knew it wasn't particularly appropriate to ask someone what race they were, and secondly, Seattle has a huge rice crop of Asian people anyway, ha ha. I really do miss the cultural diversity in large cities, though. Different languages, foods, religions, cultures, churches, looks, etc. I felt it expanded my horizons to be in an area that was so diverse. And here in Utah I guess I could say I contribute to the cultural atmosphere, but nowadays I am much more "white" than Asian. I yearn to speak Japanese, and to be around Japanese people, but don't really have the opportunity. And I also realize racial stereotyping is not limited to the US, or places like Utah. My mom took us girls to church in Japan when we were little and some lady came up to her and said, "My your girls are so cute! Where did you get them?" Open mouth, insert foot. My mom only replied, "They're mine,".....and yes we definitely are. When I tell people I am half Japanese, I am asked which side of me is Japanese and I want to say my left side. In any case, I am very greatful I had the opportunity to live in Japan for the first eight years of my life. And hopefully one day, my little Lani's will have some hint of Asian in them, and they will get asked the same questions that I did. I want my Japanese side to show up in them just a little bit. Is that too much to ask?
1 comment:
This is very interesting...being from Dallas it was a culture shock moving to Utah. There are all sorts of races and it's a type of melting pot where I was raised. I don't know what it is about people here in Utah who ask such crazy things. Sometimes I think they're just sheltered and they don't know any better, but it still doesn't seem like an excuse to me. At least you have a good humor about it. If I were you I'd say that I'm from Africa or something and just totally throw them off and see what they do :) Love the blog!!!
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