The Other Side of Perfect.I’m biracial and polite to a fault, so I’ve had the “what are you?” conversation a lot. It’s when someone asks me (overtly or subtly, rudely or nicely) what my racial background is.
I’ve had these conversations with strangers at bus stops, at baby showers, at public pools, at my first job, and at my current job.
I’ve had them with catcallers and baristas and teachers and an OB-GYN. Occasionally, the conversations were uncomfortable. But most of the time, they weren’t.
I’m half-Japanese and half white, and I like talking about my background.Being asked “what are you” so much made me realize that while I’m often recognized as mixed, I’m not always recognized as Asian.