History Main / MistakenForForeigner

* In ''Series/ModernFamily'', Mitch and Cam take Lily to the doctor after she gets injured. The doctor is Asian, and Cam makes several clumsy (if harmless) remarks and gestures, only for her to repeatedly remind him that she's from Denver.

* ''{{Series/Friends}}'' had Rachel meeting Ross on his return from a archaeology dig in China, with his new girlfriend, Julie. When Rachel sees them together, she tries to give the bouquet of flowers to Julie:
-->'''Ross:''' Oh, are these for me?
-->'''Rachel:''' Uh, no...these are for you [[gives them to Julie]] (very pronounced English) Welcome to our country!
-->'''Julie:''' (responding in the same way) Thank you! I'm from New York!
* Played with in ''MartialLaw'' in regards to Grace. She was born in China but raised in the United States before returning to live in China for sometime as a cop and came back to the United States.

This trope is when a minority character is automatically assumed to be from the country of their ethnic origin ([[InterchangeableAsianCultures or someplace vaguely close to it]]), even though their accent, dress, and all other mannerisms reflect the country they call home, which makes sense because they were born and raised there. A common example would be an Asian-American being asked where they're from, or asked about an aspect of an Asian culture, only for them to respond in a plain American accent, "I'm from UsefulNotes/{{Pittsburgh}}."

* Anyone who's not white in the U.S., especially Hispanics and Asian-Americans, will likely be asked what country they're from, even if they were born there.

* Lisa Silverman from ''VideoGame/{{Persona 2}}'' is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl of wholly Caucasian ancestry. However, she was born and raised in Japan. This doesn't stop her classmates from thinking she must know English or is a transfer student from America.

* After she spoke out about a spate of anti-Muslim sentiment, a columnist for Montreal's ''La Presse'' newspaper, Rima Elkouri, received several hate mail messages telling her to go back to where she came from. She wrote a scathing editorial called ''[[http://www.lapresse.ca/debats/chroniques/rima-elkouri/201203/19/01-4507235-ok-je-retourne-dans-mon-pays.php O.K.! Je retourne dans mon pays]]'' (OK! I'll return to my country!) where she offered to get on the metro and return to the northern Montreal neighbourhood where she was born.

* Lisa Silverman from ''VideoGame/{{Persona 2}}'' is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl of wholly Caucasian ancestry. However, she was born and raised in Japan. This doesn't stop her classmates from thinking she must know English or is a transfer student from America.

* Rey Mysterio has worked in Mexico, but is from Los Angels. That has not stopped him from being the target of Jack Swagger and the xenophobic Real Americans. The same can be said of Eddie Guerrero, who was from El Paso Texas but was targeted by anti-Mexican JBL.

This trope is when a minority character is automatically assumed to be from the country of their ethnic origin (or someplace vaguely close to it), even though their accent, dress, and all other mannerisms reflect the country they call home, which makes sense because they were born and raised there. A common example would be an Asian-American being asked where they're from, or asked about an aspect of Asian culture, only for them to respond, "I'm from UsefulNotes/{{Pittsburgh}}."

* In ''Film/{{Crash}}'', Graham cuts short a conversation with his mother on the phone because he's "having sex with [his] Mexican girlfriend." This [[WhatTheHellHero offends his girlfriend]], since her parents are from Central and South America and she herself was born and raised in California.

* ''Film/JohnnyDangerously'' has a SpinningNewspaper read some mob boss Roman Moronie deported to Greece,"...SAYS HE NOT FROM THERE"

* ''Film/JohnnyDangerously has a SpinningNewspaper read some mob boss (Roman Moronie?) deported to Greece,"...SAYS HE NOT FROM THERE"

* In ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' (which takes place during WorldWarII), a number of American [=POWs=] are liberated from a Nazi prison camp and one of them (Dugan) stumbles upon a Japanese man.

* Subverted in an earlier scene. During his physical Steve receives a doctor with a heavy German accent. He asks him (Dr. Erskine) where he's from and the doctor replies: "Queens... before zat, Germany."

* Subverted in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'': During his physical Steve receives a doctor with a heavy German accent. He asks him (Dr. Erskine) where he's from and the doctor replies: "Queens... before zat, Germany."

This trope is when a minority character is automatically assumed to be from the country of their ethnic origin (or someplace vaguely close to it), even though their accent, dress, mannerisms, and every other aspect of their being reflects the country they call home, which makes sense because they were born and raised there. A common example would be an Asian-American being asked where they're from, or asked about an aspect of Asian culture, only for them to respond, "I'm from UsefulNotes/{{Pittsburgh}}."

This trope is when a minority character is automatically assumed to be from the country of their ethnic origin, even though their accent, dress, mannerisms, and every other aspect of their being reflects the country they call home, which makes sense because they were born and raised there. A common example would be an Asian-American being asked where they're from, or asked about an aspect of Asian culture, only for them to respond, "I'm from UsefulNotes/{{Pittsburgh}}."

* Lisa Silverman from ''VideoGame/Persona2'' is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl of wholly Caucasian ancestry. However, she was born and raised in Japan. This doesn't stop her classmates from thinking she must know English or is a transfer student from America.

-->'''Dugan:''' "We taking ''anyone'' with us, now?"
-->'''Morita:''' "I'm from ''Fresno'', Ace."

* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory: While the gang eats at a Chinese restaurant, the owner Mr. Chen asks where Howard is. Sheldon replies that "he's putting his needs above the common good", then turns to the others and adds "Where he comes from that's punishable by death." Mr. Chen responds, "I come from Sacramento."

* Lisa Silverman from ''VideoGame/Persona2'' is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl of wholly Caucasian ancestry. However, she was born and raised in Japan. This doesn't stop her classmates from thinking she must know English or is a transfer student from America.