Has anyone else noticed how weird people get about mixed couples in public?

I was in Miami last week with my girlfriend and it honestly hit me how different people act depending on where you are. In some places nobody cares, but then we went to this little brunch spot in a more touristy area and we kept getting these weird double-takes. Nothing super obvious, just enough to make it uncomfortable. She’s Latina and I’m Asian, and sometimes it feels like people are trying to place us in some box that doesn’t exist. We were literally just trying to enjoy mimosas and talk about our trip, but I noticed two older ladies looking over every few minutes like we were some kind of curiosity. It made me think about how often mixed couples are just seen as “a thing” instead of, you know, two people. My girlfriend handled it better than I did. She laughed and said, “Let them stare, they probably bored anyway.” I was irritated for like the next hour. Do y’all have any tricks for not letting random people ruin your vibe? I don’t want to be paranoid every time we go out, but I also don’t want to pretend the side-eyes don’t happen. Especially when it’s supposed to be a fun date and not a social experiment.