The Jewish Guy

I had the most bizarre experience at school today. I was walking across campus on my way home from class, headphones in my ears, when a tall guy in a yarmulke walked up to me and said cheerfully, "Hi!"

I hesitated for a second and didn't even bother to take the headphones out of my ears. My school is really big and really liberal, and it's teeming with all kinds of political nutjobs and proselytizers who fly just below the social radar but won't hesitate to mentally accost you and goad you into a heated debate when they think they can get away with it. At my school, the best policy is usually just to ignore the strangers who are trying to talk to you.

"Hi," I said at last.

With a big smile, he said, "Are you Jewish?"

"Um...I don't think so. Why, do I look Jewish?"

He cocked his head to one side and studied me for a moment before he wrinkled his nose and said, "Um, yeah, not really." He stood there like that for a full two seconds before I finally smiled and politely told him that I needed to go.

Ok, Seattle is weird sometimes. UW, even weirder. But I think that was probably the weirdest exchange I've ever had at school. I can't help but wonder what was going through his head.