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My sister and I stopped at an antique store in Memorial, an affluent neighborhood. All people working there were older white people (I assume they are the owners.) While my sister paid for her things, the older white woman asked where are we from. I've been asked this recent enough that I knew what she meant. My sister later said she almost answered Spring Branch (an area north of the freeway). It took her a moment but she replied, "We're Vietnamese." The lady said, "You're from Vietnam? Oh, I wouldn't know what to do with my hands and toes without those Vietnamese girls. They do such good jobs." My sister was confused. Use them, what do else to do with your fingers and toes?? my sister thought. The lady turned and asked me, "What do you do? Do you work from the home?" I replied I do bookkeeping, to which she said, "Oh! So, how long have you been here?" I've been in the states for 40 yrs. "You look too young to haven been here for 40 years." I thank her for the compliment then we left. To many, that was horribly insulting and racist to assume all Vietnamese females do nails. For me I just found it amusing. Those people were polite and friendly. As racist as the woman's assumptions were, I took her remarks were from ignorance of other cultures rather than from ill-intentions.
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