Ni Hao

So today we were in NYC, at Liberty Island - sitting under a tree eating a snack and trying not waste away in the 100+ heat.  Scott was somewhere climbing up Ms. Liberty's dress, and Christopher and I were doing the only sane thing, sitting very, very, still.  A worker at the park came by, someone who had it worse than us.  Dressed in dark, heavy clothing, gloves, and long sleeves.  Awful.  As he passed I smiled and said hello.  That was my first mistake.  He was of course friendly back, and came over and said "Ni Hao" to us.  The only reason I even now what "Ni Hao" means,  is because I know the line up on Nick Jr. from 7:30 a.m. till 5:30 p.m.  Kai lan and all of her furry creature friends are adorable, don't get me wrong.  Yet once again, we are mistaken for Chinese, and it just perplexes me.  After I gave him a blank stare, he asked directly if we were Chinese.  I said, "no" and of course he had to ask "well, are you Japanese?"  I wanted to say, "no, sorry sir, but thanks for playing - instead of the grand prize on Guess the Asian, you win a one way ticket to ignorantville."  But I was cordial, and replied, "We are Korean."  So, we travel hundreds of miles North, and sit on the island that symbolizes our Nation's basic values, and I still have to be subject to man's utter stupidity.