Chinese... Really?

With Chinese New Year coming up this weekend, random thoughts about my heritage have been on my mind. I want to touch on a couple of them, starting off with something light...

Whenever I tell people that I'm mainly Chinese with Swedish and other stuff mixed in, they have no trouble believing that I am of Swedish descent. They are fine even though I don't have blond hair and blue eyes. They aren't dissuaded by the fact that I don't do anything particularly Swede-like. They accept it readily.

• "You don't look Asian." This is true.
• "But isn't your last name Swedish?" Yes, it is.
• "You don't act very Chinese." I've heard this twice and probably should feel insulted.
• "I thought so." This sends me for a loop since I expect one of the first two statements.

What I've come to expect is disbelief, so I am not thrown by the double takes and looks of surprise. Despite all of my silly American habits and the physical evidence to the contrary, "Really, I'm Chinese."