Small talk in any culture should not be taken literally or analyzed too deeply. When a cashier says "How are you?" the standard response is "Fine thanks, and yo

Small talk in any culture should not be taken literally or analyzed too deeply. When a cashier says "How are you?" the standard response is "Fine thanks, and you?" It doesn't matter if neither of you really cares. I've read people decrying the insincerity of the interaction. It's just a ritual that's not completely logical, like most rituals. All cultures have illogical rituals. I wouldn't spend much time analyzing them. In some parts of the English West Country, a common greeting is "Alright my lover?" Don't assume the person addressing you as his or her lover is offering sex, and don't assume that they're being insincere when it turns out they're not. They're acknowledging your presence with the local idiom. Similarly, in some parts of China they say "have you eaten yet?" as we say "how are you?" I don't think it's appropriate to answer with a description of what you had for breakfast and lunch that day. You probably just say "Yes, did you?"