[chestervonwinch]

I agree. The "you look like you are ..." requires the other person to either affirm that they look conspicuously different than their peers or to refute the asker's claim that they look different, which could be embarrassing for both.

Generally, I try to avoid comments on a person's appearance unless I'm pretty good friends with that person, even if it's something relatively benign like "you like my friend, Pat" or "you like $celebrity".

Edit: of course, "where are you from?" could be perceived as a patronizing way to point out that the other person looks different. Socializing is hard.

[Frondo]

The best form of "where are you from?" is "Are you from [this city we're now in]?"

If they are, and you are, hey, you're both natives! Where did you go to high school?

If they aren't, and you are, hey, what do you like about it? How long have you been here? What brought you here?

If they are, and you aren't, hey, you're a native, I moved here x years ago, do you know restaurant X? It's my favorite.

If they aren't, and you aren't, mix and match, any of the above.