but I like soup

If they're not rude, it's not authentic.

I can say this about Chinese restaurants because I'm Chinese... or am I?...

Here is my amused way of remembering two or three experiences I've had while eating at different Chinese restaurants. Amused because I like to add a little bit of embellishment:


Waitress: Are you ready to order?

Me: Yes. We'd like to start out with hot and s...

Waitress (while studying me): You Chinese?

Me: Oh, well, yes I am. So we'd like some hot and sour...

Waitress: You speak Chinese?

Me: Um... no, I don't. We'd like an order of hot and sour soup...

Waitress: Then you're not Chinese... no soup for you!


**********

The thing is, I was never really offended by this kind of exchange - the main gist anyway... of course we got what we ordered. But it has made me wonder about the whole American / Chinese inner dialogue that I've sometimes gone through. Or how Asian I really appear, as I've occasionally been told that I look like a mix, perhaps part Spanish. But in my experiences with the waitresses, it's kind of funny.