An unusual response to my answer on what I do for a living

Sometimes I wonder if I'm hypersensitive. A couple of weeks ago I was at a Sunday School teachers' meeting, and one of the guys asked what I do. What I wanted to say was, "I fold conotoxin peptides so they can be used in research for pain medications." Of course, that would sound like technobabble to the uninitiated, so I said, " I synthesize cone snail, marine snail, toxin proteins. We're trying to make those toxins into pain medicines."

His reaction: What's your major?

Me: I graduated in Biology.

Him: Oh. I never thought you'd be interested in something like that.

This was a highly unusual response, and one I'd never received before. I usually get "Cool," or, "I only understood maybe a fourth of what you said, but that sounds awesome." (The second response is what a second guy in the conversation gave)

I honestly didn't know how to respond. This was a guy who had only spoken to me on two other occasions, both dealing with Sunday School. Part of me (the worse part) wanted to give a snarky response similar to, "Why? Because I'm too pretty to be interested in science? It's not like I don't mention it in every other lesson I give or like I don't testify of faith and how it is difficult for some of us, like me, to live by faith because we are so logically minded."

Another part of me was genuinely interested in why he thought that--I do sometimes bring crocheting projects to church to help keep myself awake, and maybe he equated crocheting with domesticity in the absence of science (for the record, I also enjoy knitting, sewing, cross-stitching, cooking, baking, and painting, and I have taught myself those skills in whole or in part. Oh, and writing fantasy. So obviously science and domesticity are not mutually exclusive).

A third part of me was afraid that he would reply that it was because I was so quiet that I simply didn't seem that smart. (Of course, he probably wouldn't say that to my face, but perhaps his words would have implied that silence reflects on my intelligence or lack thereof. In reality, I am not prone to get into conversations on subjects I know little about, such as politics and sports. Silence does not indicate a lack of intelligence. Vocalization on certain subjects also does not correlate to IQ)

A fourth part of me feared that he meant that he thought I was too spiritual to be led away by science. That would have been insulting with faint praise. I do not believe that science and religion are separate, that one is true and one is false, but I have encountered this both at school and church far too many times to count. It hurts my soul and makes me doubt myself and God far too often for me to want to address it every single time.

So what did I do? Conflicting emotions and responses raged in my head, and after a moment's pause I opened my mouth and said, "Oh."

Then the guys sort of ignored me and started talking sports.

So, am I hypersensitive?