On Fri, Aug 29, 2008 at 2:39 PM, Deepa Mohan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Oh, they DO. They ask me on the bus...I gave up my seat to an elderly lady > (well, more elderly than I am!) and she smiled at me and then asked > me....The shoe repair guy asked me....I stop to get my cycle tyres pumped > and that guy asked me...I was wondering if I was looking either too > well-fed, or starved! It used to unnerve me until I realized that it is a > social greeting, much like "how are you?" is NOT an invitation to talk > about your piles problem. > > Deepa. > > Oh that made me giggle till the tears came out. The staff, it looks around, their fingers poised on the phones, wondering if it is time to call for the straight jacket :) I have never had complete strangers asking me that question yet. But at different times, the lift man who nods at me every day, the land lord who comes to collect the rent every fifth of the month and the dhobi who once made me wait for five minutes had asked the question to me, leading to severe etiquette confusion, because I still don't really know what the correct and appropriate answer to it is. I am hoping that the particular form of simpering, half apologetic smile accompanied by a vigorous shaking of the head is adequate :) Nishant -- Nishant Shah Doctoral Candidate, CSCS, Bangalore. Director (Research), Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore Asia Awards Fellow, 2008-09 # 0-9740074884
