Sooo … as a reporter you’re always mixin’ and minglin’ with folks, trying to get comments on stories and whatnot. And in my two-plus years here at The Journal News, I’ve gotten a whole bunch of: “Hello, Dear. Now where are you from?” Usually, that translates to, “What kind of Asian are you?”

But I like to play around, ya know? So I’ll say, “Oh, I’m from Queens. Let’s go Mets!” Other times, when I’m in a rush and in not such a playful mood, I’ll get it over with as in I’ll say, “Well my parents are from China, but I was born in Queens. So yeah, that makes me Chinese.”

Yesterday, however, this little game of cat and guess-the-ethnicity-of-the-mouse, got a little more elaborate. I was covering the Planned Parenthood rally on Middletown Road in Nanuet and chatting up a couple of anti-abortion protesters for quotes when we began the usual dance.

We finished up and started on a little small talk when one of the women, now predictably, asked where I was from. I said Queens, but of course we boiled it down to China. The woman who clarified for everyone that I was Chinese qualified the conversation’s course by saying that her daughter-in-law is Chinese. This woman — elderly and white — then turns to the other two ladies — also white — and comments on how her grandchildren are going to beautiful because mixed children are just lovely. The other ladies agreed, nodding and confirming that yes, mixed children are beautiful, and I give a nod, not really paying attention because at this point I decide I should copy down the phrases on their signs: “Abortion kills,” etc. Then, as I’m writing, I hear the first lady say, “This one is gorgeous and she’s purebred.”

What now? Stunned, I feel like I’m both laughing and crying inside. It was definitely a well-meaning compliment, but I couldn’t help but feel like a horse afterwards.

Disclaimer: I’m no expert in diversity matters, I just live in these times looking at the world through these almond-shaped eyes. I say that because I don’t want anyone to think that just because I contribute to this blog I’m some sort of authority on such a weighty issue. I do, however, experience my share of “diversity moments” while on the job — some hilarious, others insulting, the abovementioned incident a peculiar mix of both. Hopefully, these tidbits in the life of Jeng will be both fun and intellectual fodder for discussion. So … enjoy!