[Coach]

Rarely does it happen, but I have to agree with 2Stonedbirds.

If I meet someone with an accent, I ask where theyre from because I am genuinely interest. If I think I recognize the accent I'll say something like, "So are you from Korea?" or "Are you Swedish?". Again because I am genuinely interested. I don't see anything wrong with that. If that's a problem for some people, how are we ever going to learn anything about each other? It's a pretty basic question. I get asked where I'm from too, especially being back in school. People are from all over. I've been asked that question on dates for christ's sake. "So, are you from here?"

If someone finds that type of context offensive, isn't it their prejudice or stereotype of what I may or may not think what's actually at play here?

I can see how it would be annoying, just like how the person who's way too happy at your office can be annoying. But that's all it is, an annoyance. It's not something you could describe as offensive, IMO.