You're not a typical American

James Fallows relays some correspondence about being mistaken for a local in Europe, and says this is particularly common for visitors from the US in Germany. As it happens, I was once mistaken for German on a Lufthansa airliner. But on the ground, where my body language would have been more evident (and I behaved like a befuddled, illiterate tourist), I don't think anyone did that.

Fallows should consider the possibility that some people may be lying out of attempted politeness, because of negative perceptions of people from the US. One of his readers says that when French people mistook him for other nationalities, they "thought that was a compliment". I remember being asked in Europe if I was Canadian. I have since heard that the real reason for this is that Canadians are often insulted if people mistake them for US citizens, but the reverse is not true, so assuming that someone who seems Anglophone North American is Canadian is the safest opening move.