i have a lot of encounters at the grocery that highlight my asianess. is it because the grocery is a level playing field and the meeting place of all races, religions and heights?

anyway, i undergo alot of presumptions by others. at work, i look young. a new hire’s first question to me was if i went to college for my job (omg, how many years ago and can you not tell by the massive university of chicago poster?). after we spoke a little longer, i think she realized that i wasn’t an intern or someone’s daughter working part-time.

another presumption is that i’m asian and not asian-american. at first glance, it’s hard to tell if i was born and raised in the US or again someone’s daughter who immigrated a few years ago to start a new life.

so to bring together both assumptions, on saturday afternoon, i’m in line at a grocery in podunk, VA — which actually has a large asian population (btw, my definition of podunk is anything outside downtown). the cashier asks me if i live in the area, in which i respond i’m just visiting a friend. he’s very intrigued about my friend and asked how i liked my visit, does my friend live far, have i been to the wal-marts down the street. now, the wal-mart question has relevance, as you shall soon see, he then asks if i was filipino. oh, i have so many filipino friends that work at wal-marts. lots of my good friends are filipinos and they work hard and cook very good. he then asks if i just got off work (remember it’s a saturday afternoon) — so he’s now figured i work at the wal-mart-like job as many of his filipino friends. and i said, no. and that’s ok by me. i’m the ubiquitous asian.

standing in the asian section of an upscale mega-grocery store, i was approached by a fellow patron. now i’ve been mistaken for the sales girl in a department store before, but this was different. this was a fellow patron, recognizing that i was a fellow patron and asking me if i know where the wonton wrappers are. well, now, after a quick glace around, i notice we’re in the asian sauces aisle, with no wrappers to be found.

now it appears the elderly lady of caucasian decent knows a thing or three about wontons. she recalls they’re normally refrigerated and that the grocery helper pointed her to dried goods…now i just want to make sure she said, before having to schlep all the way to the refrigerated aisles.

it’s quite a large grocery and i don’t blame her. have i used wonton wrappers before? sure. am i the expert on their origin or storage requirements? not even close. did i just happen to be in the right place at the right time? perhaps. and that’s ok by me. i’m the ubiquitous asian.

would you want to live far far away, or right next to home? i’m born, raised and bred chicago, and i miss it dearly. they say you can never go home, but i see my life more fulfilled if i was home.

i never regret, but i also make sure i don’t put myself in situations where i will regret. so, i need to get back to chicago in the next two years…

before that tho, i being tug at the skirt by new york. can i freaking afford to live in that crazy-forsaken town? better now that before or later i suppose. when i came to DC 3.5 years ago, i was beyond social…i wish i was social w/ a purpose, but nevertheless i would go out ALL the time…then, just before the crash, i *made sure* i was going out 6 out of 7 nights a week. now i’ve crashed and am a hermit. will i be a hermit in NY? will NY make me bitter? i have friends there, but i’m already bitter towards some of them, so what kind of life would i lead there…maybe work will be so fast-paced and exciting and i will make new friends…hmmmm

anyway, this could be the lack of sugar talking…gwyneth paltrow didn’t eat white flour or sugar for 3 years…can i pull off the same? sugar sugar sugar

posted by nee @ 9:46 AM