Being half Indian meant that I was bombarded with dumb questions from people who clearly had no idea what being Indian actually means. Here are a bunch of questions you should never ask an Indian American in this lifetime.
1. "So can you speak Indian?"
Yes, I can speak Indian. I can also speak very good American.
2. "Do the people in India like sing and dance to Bollywood movies often?"
Oh absolutely, it's like "High School Musical" down there 24/7. But, seriously, no, we don't just start dancing out of nowhere to Bollywood songs.
3. "So if you're Indian, how come you don't wear than dot on your forehead?"
DUUUUDDDEEEE! First of all, if you are a HINDU, you don't have to wear a bindi 24/7. Also, not everyone in India are Hindus. India also has Muslims, Christians, Buddists and even Jews. In fact, India has the second largest Muslim population in the world.
4. "OMG can you make me Indian food?"
I can heat up some stuff my mom made last night.
5. "Can you do yoga?"
No girl, we are not all born with the ability to do yoga. Some of us are lazy af. You might just want to go Park Slope or something.
6. "Wait, so you're Indian? Does that mean you're Asian?"
INDIA IS IN ASIA YOU DUM DUM!!! So yes, I should be considered Asian.
7. "How come a lot of you guys are in tech support?"
So that's the new stereotype, huh? It's not like Indians can be doctors, lawyers, journalists, authors, etc. Nope, just tech support.
8. "Can you give me some Indian clothes?"
Sure! As a matter of fact, why don't I give you some bindis and some henna, then I can give a lecture on cultural appropriation.