I work in an office with 4 cubicles, the woman next to me is Mexican. She openly talks about being Mexican fairly often, with me and other people in the office. We talk about food fairly often, Mexican and otherwise. 

I've been wanting to make my own empanadas but all the grocery stores in my town do not carry any Hispanic foods besides the Tex-Mex basics. I thought, if anyone knows where to get Hispanic foods, it would be someone who was Hispanic who makes Hispanic food. Made sense in my head.

Today when I was on my way out to go home, I stopped and said exactly, "Hey, do you know where to get empanada dough? I can't find it in the stores around here."

She is usually a very warm person, this time she seemed almost exhausted by my question and told me about a store for Hispanic food in the town over. My boss quickly called me over and showed me on his computer some stores that should have it. Another coworker made the comment, "Jeez, asking the Mexican where to get Mexican food?" I was a bit stunned so I just mumbled, "I just thought she might know." I tried to change the topic a little and talked about the different kinds of empanadas my partner and I have made, but I wound up saying my byes and rushing out because of the awkwardness. I might actually be in a bit of trouble over this considering the way my boss was acting.

Just how much of a racist asshole was I today? 

 