1:

In college, my friend was head of the Taiwanese Chinese Student Society, which always threw great parties. With the exception of the bar staff, these parties were all Asian. At one such party, when I went up to the bar to order some drinks, the bartender looked at me and said, "How did you get a moustache?" (Did I mention that I used to have a 'stache?)

Too drunk and happy to even really comprehend the question, I replied, "I got a special permit." It wasn't until a day or two later that I remembered the incident and thought, "What the fuck was that supposed to mean?"

2:

I recently got a chance to attend a dinner that honored Ron Takaki. I didn't attend Berkeley, so it was quite a treat for me to hear him speak. Another predominantly Asian event. The man next to me joked, "For tonight, you're Asian." I've been in similar situations many times, so I have an automatic filter that changes my original thought, "Fuck YOU!" into a mindless quip, "I'm Asian every night."

3:

After ordering lunch at a local taqueria, the woman behind the counter asked, "What ethnicity are you?" Generally, when a stranger asks you that question, it's an "Ah, fuck. Not again," moment, for a variety of reasons. But I like this woman. She's always very happy, and in fact giggles almost constantly as she speaks to you. So I apprehensively answered her question. She replied, "Oh! I thought so. I'm Chinese and Jewish, but people mistake me for Latino all the time." That, and the ensuing short conversation, blew my mind. To find someone with a similar background, who had had similar experiences, and had actually thought about some of the issues involved? Made my week.