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#1
12-11-1999, 09:22 PM
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This phrase - "how ya doin'" is very common and I'm not sure how to reply to it. A few folks at work pass me in the hall and say it; I usually say "oh, okay, how you?" They say "okay" or "fine." But I'm thinking that it's meant only as a greeting and not literally. Respond in kind? Miss Manners once wrote that with formal introductions, when one person says "How do you do," it is not meant literally, and that you should respond the same. But "how ya doin'" is so casual,and uttered by acquaintances, that it strikes me as in need of a more meaninful response. This really started bugging me when an employee in my building whom I didn't know passed me in the hall and said it as she went by. It threw me because I didn't know her, and I glanced back as she kept walking. I muttered "hi." Later I thought that in that situation,it really was just a friendly way of saying hi, and it would've been better to say "how ya doin'" back. I was in the grocery store with my s.o. and when we walked up to the cashier at the checkout, he said it and she said it almost at the same time. It seemed kind of awkward to me. I get it from store cashiers a lot. I thought maybe I should just start saying it first and let the other person worry about how to respond. It may seem trivial, but I don't want to appear rude or socially inept, and that's how I feel sometimes when greeted this way. Why the hell can't they just say "hi" and be done with it. Do you use this greeting and if so, what kind of response do you expect?
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#2
12-11-1999, 09:32 PM
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I have two answers that I give. I can't take credit for coming up with the first, but I can't recall where I saw it.
They say: How ya' doing'? I say: If I were any better, I'd be twins! They say: How ya' doing'? I say: Great, you? Keep it simple. No one wants to hear a list of health or personal problems, it's just a little way of saying "hello". I don't personally use this, because too frequently the person will stop and actually TELL you how their doing. Yuk. Instead, I say "Hi!". That's it! Zette ------------------ Love is like popsicles...you get too much you get to high. Not enough and you're gonna die... Click here for some GOOD news for a change Zettecity
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#3
12-11-1999, 09:33 PM
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I usually say "fine" on ordinary days. "Great" if I'm in a good mood. I'm feeling horrible or depressed, or in any mood that would cause friends to become concerned at the answer to the question, I usually just ignore it and hand the cashier my money.
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#7
12-11-1999, 10:39 PM
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I say "I'm average." which often gets a smile.
 ------------------ -PIGEONMAN- Hero For A New Millennium! The Legend Of PigeonMan - updates every Wed & Sat. If I can be bothered.
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#9
12-11-1999, 11:03 PM
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Sometimes I'll give it a "I'm so happy, I have to sit on my hands to keep from clapping". Other times it's the 'silent hello', where you look 'em in the eye and give that nod that says "You know how I'm doing".
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#10
12-11-1999, 11:23 PM
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For the first half of my day, I say, "It's too early to tell." After that, I usually say "Groovy."
No, really. I do. I'm not even being sarcastic. Well, sometimes I am being sarcastic, but mostly, I really mean it. <P ALIGN="CENTER">Tris</P> ------------------ Isn't it interesting that the same people who laugh at science fiction listen to weather forecasts and economists? --Kelvin Throop, III
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#13
12-12-1999, 01:29 AM
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Super! Thanks for asking!
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#14
12-12-1999, 01:36 AM
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doin great here
------------------ I opened the door, and look who I found. Damn I'm good
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#15
12-12-1999, 02:01 AM
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I have a pulse. I must be ok.
CT
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#16
12-12-1999, 04:57 AM
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If I know you well I'll say "Well, I'm still alive..."
If I don't, it's either "fair to midlin', and yourself ?" or "fine and you ?"
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#18
12-12-1999, 07:34 AM
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My usual reply:
Wus up? Others: I'm here. That's gotta count for something. The silent guy nod is always an option, as well. ------------------ You say "cheesy" like that's a BAD thing.
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#19
12-12-1999, 09:04 AM
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" Still doin'. It's only when you stop doin' that you get in trouble in this world."
------------------ Save The Endangered Jackalope! Send Cash Now! If You Do This, I Will Use The Cash To Save Any Jackalope That I Happen To Find! Send Cash Now! Before It's Too Late! My Bills, I Mean The Jackalope's Bills Are Due The 15th Of The Month! This has been a message from the Illuminated Committee To Save The Jackalope. Fnord.
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#21
12-12-1999, 01:40 PM
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" Haven't missed a meal."
"Day late, dollar short." "SSDD"
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#23
12-12-1999, 02:18 PM
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Blue Twylight! Have you seen my animals?
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#24
12-12-1999, 02:20 PM
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A great reply I had heard a few years back:
< In a slow Southern drawl >: Well, I feel like a million bucks, but I look like a refund. ------------------ You say "cheesy" like that's a BAD thing.
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#25
12-12-1999, 08:00 PM
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"Wide awake, alert, and enthusiastic!"
That usually annoys. My buddy the vet student always replies with "BARH", which among anyone but vets compels him to explain: "bright, alert, reactive, and hydrated", the shorthand for any normal animal when you're doing rounds. ------------------ "It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive" Bruce Springsteen
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#26
12-12-1999, 08:07 PM
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"So far, so good."
------------------ Crystalguy
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#27
12-12-1999, 08:24 PM
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I like "so far, so good." Brief, and doesn't require being perky. I just wish these people would stop saying it altogether. It happened again today in the grocery store, and even though I'd read these responses, I still replied lamely, okay. Call me a grump, but I don't care how THEY are doing so it just doesn't occur to me to say "and you?" I don't want to start up a conversation with the cashier; I just want her/him to scan the damn groceries and bag 'em so I can get the hell outta there. "So far, so good" doesn't invite a reply, so I'm going with that. Thanks everyone.
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#31
12-13-1999, 12:00 AM
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My hubby's favorite response, used only with good friends and family members
"How ya doing?" "Fair to partly shitty" Okay, I guess you have to be there...but it usually makes them laugh. ------------------ Shadowfox "We are what we pretend to be." - Kurt Vonnegut
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#32
12-13-1999, 12:14 AM
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I like to say that I'm fairly okay, or to borrow from Carlin, I'm "moderately neato." I have a government job, though, so if one of my co-workers asks me how I'm doing, a reply is usually not necessary. A simple eye roll will usually suffice.
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#33
12-13-1999, 09:16 AM
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I answer honestly, which means my response can vary from "Great!" to "Shitty!"
If I'm in a recursive mood, I respond "OK, how are you doing?" Then I see how many times we can go 'round.
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#34
12-13-1999, 09:48 AM
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I don't treat this greeting any differently than others. I usually answer with a question: "how am I doing what?
2nd choice, especially if it's an obvious prelude to a favor: "I guess that depends on what you're about to say". I'm more concerned about people who come up to me and bark "HEY!" as a greeting. This totally threw me until somebody told me that it's a favorite midwestern greeting. Until then my reply was "WHAT?"
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#35
12-13-1999, 09:51 AM
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I always like these:
"Mm, you?" (Mm in this case is just a little sympathetic noise, not like 'Mmmmmmm, delicious') "I hear I'm fabulous." and "I'm okay as long as you don't ask for details."
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#36
12-13-1999, 04:01 PM
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I respond to it just fine thank you.
------------------ I really try to be good but it just isn't in my nature!
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#37
12-13-1999, 05:21 PM
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I usually tell them the truth. This tends to break them of the habit of using "How ya Doin'?" as a substitute for "Hello." It also guarantees that I'll be left alone, which is what I usually want anyway.
------------------ It's a long way to heaven, but only three short steps to hell.
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#38
12-13-1999, 10:27 PM
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Passer-by: How're ya doin'?
Neuro: Snarl. ------------------ "That's entertainment!" —Vlad the Impaler
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#39
12-14-1999, 12:00 AM
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If you're in a biker bar, the correct response is "Up yours, mate!"
At the office: "Do you want the long version or the short version?" Then watch your colleague run for cover. ------------------ Quand les talons claquent, l'esprit se vide. Maréchal Lyautey
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#41
12-14-1999, 12:13 AM
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"I'm still a million bucks shy of being a millionaire."
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#42
12-14-1999, 12:56 AM
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"Fair to midlin', and you?"
"Fair to partly cloudy." "Better'n some, worse'n others." ::muttering:: "I coulda been a contender!" ------------------ The overwhelming majority of people have more than the average (mean) number of legs. -- E. Grebenik
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#44
12-14-1999, 01:12 PM
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I reply...
"Not bad for an old man" ------------------ If you can't convince them, confuse them. Harry S. Truman
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#45
12-15-1999, 12:41 AM
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I refuse to lie when asked that question. It's led to people I barely know being inundated with a conversation they never expected to be in, let me tell you.
In my old age, I have mellowed a bit, however. Now, if I ain't doin' all that well, an honest, "Lousy, but it's not your fault" is my comeback. ------------------ Yer pal, Satan
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#47
12-16-1999, 11:04 AM
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With a bone-crushing punch to the nose.
------------------ Uke
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