Conversation Gone Bad

I was sitting at the hotel restaurant tonight enjoying the chicken dish I described in my previous post and was approached by a new manager there. He introduced himself to me and seemed very "with it" in regards to his english and general understanding of customs/cultures. After exchanging pleasantries, this is where the conversation went:

Manager: "So where are you from - the US or Australia?"
Me (thinking) : uhh oh - I was wrong about this guy
Me: "I'm from the US - North Carolina - it's in the Southeast."
Manager: "Oh, very nice sir. What state is that in - California?"
Me : "No, North Carolina is the State - it's in the Southeast, about 4 hours from Washington DC."
Manager: "Oh, so it's in North America then..."
Me (laughing inside) : "Yes, that's exactly right."

Now I give you a very similar conversation that happened in the movie Dumb and Dumber which was what I was thinking when this was going on.

Lloyd: "That's a lovely accent you have. New Jersey?"
Lady: "Austria."
Lloyd: Austria! Well, then. G'day mate! Let's put another shrimp on the barbie!