Things that make me go "huh?"

A while ago, I posted about my general surprise over being frequently asked about guns and God in relation to my being an American.  Now that we've moved to a more urban area and I'm interacting with more people a couple fresh questions seem to be playing on a continuous loop.  Both of which, never crossed my mind before the last couple weeks.

1.  "What is he eating?"

This is asked as the asker points at M happily munching his O shaped cereal.  No, not Cheerios.  Although they technically have Cheerios in Australia (I previously wrote about my trouble finding Cheerios here), they are heavily coated in sugar and nothing like our Cheerios.  M's on-the-go snack is Oobie Doos, an O shaped rice cereal marketed by the Wiggles machine.  

Although Cheerios are a staple in virtually every US toddler's diet, they are so rare and so peculiar in Australia, that people stop me on the street to ask what they are.

Huh.  Who knew.

2.  "Is your husband Italian?"
This is asked after I tell someone Mateo's name.  Australia has a significant Italian population and the "o" ending name is immediately associated with that ethic group.

My introduction to Mateo was through Spanish (mostly Mexican) speakers.  Apparently, the "sunburnt country" didn't appeal so much to the Spanish.  And there are virtually no Mexican's here (as witnessed by the painfully lacking supply of Mexican-style foods).

At least once a day, I meet someone who tells me about an Italian they know named Mateo.  They ask if my husband is Italian, then tell me about their son/daughter/friend who studied a term in Italy and became friends with a Mateo.  

On the plus side, these people all pronounce his name correctly.  So, there's that.

*28/08/2012 addition*
I forgot about "US or Canada?"  Generally, this question comes after hearing my accent.  My initial surprise at this one has worn off (hence, I forgot about it until being asked this morning), and speaks more to my country-centric sensibilities than Australians' curiosity.  

To be blunt, I forgot about our quiet neighbors in the attic and how similar a Canadian accent (well, not French Canadian, but that's a whole other can o' worms) would sound to an Australian ear.