I'm Usually More Sensitive

I dislike the typical "ugly American" questions I sometimes get from people in the US.

Examples include:

"What Do You Do There?"
"Do You Like French Wine?" (Implied that this person doesn't)
"Have You Been To The Moulin Rouge, It's Fabulous..."
"Have You Seen The Mona Lisa"

I think you get the idea.

But last night, I did this to someone else. The minute it came out of my mouth, I regretted it. The woman didn't take offense at the question, and she answered the question. Nonetheless, I feel really dumb.

She and her husband have a second home in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. They spend a month or two at a stretch there. I've been to Mexico many times and always worry about getting "tourista" although I've never been sick there.

The question was, "Do you grocery shop and cook in PV?" Dah! How could they possibly eat every meal in a restaurant for two months? And, I'm sure it's just as easy, if not easier to get sick from a restaurant than from home-cooked food.

The woman was very nice and poised and explained what she did -- a combination of cooking at home and eating out.

So much for the worldly me, that self-image has been shattered.