Satisfy your curiosity the right way

In a previous entry, I ranted about people asking where I’m “really” from.

Well, a few days ago, I had the good fortune to come across a white person who asked me (without my prompting her) how one is supposed to ask the question. I was actually taken off guard and didn’t have a ready response. I often get so annoyed at people asking “Where are you really from?” that I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about what they should be asking.

I thought about it for a while and came up with “What’s your background?” or “What’s your ethnicity?” I guess probably putting the two together might make sense: “What is your ethnic background?” So there you have it. If you want to know what someone’s ethnic background is—surprise, surprise—ask her what her ethnic background is. Don’t ask where she’s “really” from.