AITA for embarrassing my fiancé at dinner after he “joked” about my upbringing?

Hi Reddit, I’m Andrea, 28F. I’m originally from Colombia but have been living in the US for about 10 years. My fiancé, “David” (30M), and I have been together for three years, engaged for six months, and until now, I thought we were on the same page about respecting each other’s backgrounds.

For context, I grew up in a small town in Colombia, and while we didn’t have much money, my parents worked tirelessly to provide for my siblings and me. I’m incredibly proud of where I come from—it shaped me into the strong, resourceful person I am today.

Recently, David and I went out to dinner with his friends—a group of mostly professionals in their late 20s/early 30s. These are people I’ve met a handful of times, and while they’ve always been polite, I’ve sometimes felt out of place because of the subtle comments they make about my accent or my “exotic” background. I usually brush it off, but this dinner was different.

During the meal, one of David’s friends was sharing a story about their recent trip to Europe, talking about “authentic experiences” and local food. Out of nowhere, David chimed in with:
“Well, Andrea doesn’t need to travel for ‘authentic’ experiences—she grew up eating off banana leaves in the jungle, right babe?”

The table erupted in laughter. I was stunned. Not only was his comment wildly inaccurate (and frankly ignorant), but it was also deeply humiliating. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, waiting for my reaction.

I calmly smiled and said, “Actually, David, I grew up in a small town—not the jungle—and while we didn’t eat off banana leaves, we did learn how to respect people’s cultures, which you seem to have missed.”

The table went silent. David turned bright red and mumbled something about just “joking,” but the vibe for the rest of the evening was noticeably tense.

When we got home, David was furious. He said I embarrassed him in front of his friends and that I “blew a harmless joke way out of proportion.” I told him that his comment wasn’t harmless—it was condescending and made me feel like I was the butt of a joke in front of people who already saw me as different.

He’s been cold ever since, accusing me of being “too sensitive” and saying I should’ve just laughed it off. I feel like I stood up for myself in a respectful way, but now I’m questioning if I should’ve handled it differently.

So, Reddit, AITA for calling out my fiancé at dinner?