My wife and I went to a Pakistani restaurant for dinner. Yum.

I can imagine some of the people in my town if they saw the two women in hijabs there: They would be diving under tables or headed for the exits.

The owners seemed a little taken aback at two pasty-white middle aged people coming into their restaurant. When my wife and I ordered what we wanted, the man asked us “are you sure? That’s pretty spicy.” The woman kept coming back to ask us if we thought it was alright.

When we settled the bill, my wife got with her and traded recipes with her.

On the way out, I held the door for my wife, and coming in the restaurant after was a woman wearing a niqab. I held the door for her as well, for which she thanked me. (I imagine people where I live would have been terrified of this tiny woman. These are the same people who were concerned when we went to Poland because they thought it was being overrun by Islamic State.)