I'm in Southern California. Very diverse group of people over here, friends from nearly every background, and "mixes" as far fetched as the imagination can conceive. Around my peeps, anything flies, but amongst the worst "slips";

We'd just got back from Ventura Harbor (fish n' chips). A fishing boat had just rolled in with the day's catch, we bought fresh yellowtail (FOB). We were cleaning them in my brother's front yard. His neighbor, an elderly Chinese woman, had come by to see what we were doing. Just as she walked up, my wife popped out of the house and yells in her best "Asian woman" voice (mimicking what I do, very good at accents/voices), "What's up, motha b itches!". It was a little awkward.





Worse than the "slips" is people being confused by "mixed" families. My wife has fair skin, dark hair, looks very "Spanish". People are confused by our children, light hair, light/blue eyes. Just yesterday as we enters the gym (started 5 days ago, stoked), two elderly women commented "oh, hear comes a family" passing in the duel entrance. Then, after looking at us, my wife with our daughter, who's hair is slowly lightening (I hope it ends up as it is, dark hair, fair skin, beautiful, but beautiful regardless), and then me carrying our 2 year old, who has bleach blonde hair and light blue eyes. They instantly assumed we were separate and asked "same family?". All I said was "yes, but we're missing one, he's in school".

That's nothing. Two of my best friends are a "mixed" couple. He's about as white as it gets (like me), but she's half black. Her father is blacker than "black", makes Wesley Snipes look pale in comparison. Their daughter (same age as my eldest) is pale white, bleach blonde, and has light blue eyes. First thing people assume when we go out together is that she is my daughter (not just hair/skin, but the eyes).