Canadian vs. American difference #1:

Asking "Where are you really from". On Friday we met up with a couple American interns. One of the guys, Kartik, had a strong Indian accent. Upon meeting him an American intern immediately asked him where he was from (India or Pakistan?) and how long he'd been in the States. Later in the night we met up with another American intern who immediately asked the exact same questions. I think as Canadians, we're much more likely to ask in conversation things like, "Where did you get your undergrad?... Were you born near there?"

Is this a polite Canadian thing? It's not like Kartik was bothered, and it was a natural conversation starter. But at least one Canadian here of Asian descent has been asked if she knows English more than once (and one time after speaking a paragraph of English).