Don't you know anyone?

In the U.S., when you’re away from home, it is not uncommon when you meet someone new for them to ask “Where are you from?” It also not uncommon after your response for them to say “I know a guy who lives in Dallas, do you know Mike Brown?” Instead of responding how you really want to, “Of course not, you imbecile, there are 2.5 million people in the Dallas area and probably 300 Mike Browns.” Instead you politely respond one of several ways: “No, the name doesn’t ring a bell” or “You know, the name does sound familiar.”

Here in China, surprisingly enough, we often have similar conversations with people with just a little twist:

Local Person: “Where are you from, U.S., England, …Australia?”
Richardson Family Member: “We’re American”
Local Person (deadly serious): “Ohhhhh … so you know Yao Ming!?!?!”

Now, granted, we’re sure a 7 foot 6 inch Chinese man does probably stick out a tad, and we’re sure he has a lot of friends, but it’s not like America is the size of Dodge City, Kansas.