# One Question to Learn About Someone **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 4, 2001, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-question-to-learn-about-someone/85443 "2001-10-04T20:39:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![whistlepig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/73ab20/32.png) [@whistlepig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whistlepig)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-question-to-learn-about-someone/85443/21 "2001-10-05T19:25:23Z")
Not exactly a question, but one I’ve used to get to know more about someone is, “Tell me a story about a dog.” I usually get a weird look, but a lot of good stories. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-question-to-learn-about-someone/85443/22 "2001-10-05T19:51:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tretiak \* > \*\* > Mine: What do you put on your hot dog? > > And if you answer “ketchup” then not only do you make the Baby Jesus cry (I had to say it) but you will never get my kidney either! \*\* “…teachers getting thrown out of 4th story windows cause they don’t give A’s…no, that doesn’t bother me. you know what does bother me? you know what really makes me sick to my stomach?” “what?” “its watching you, stuffing your face with those hotdogs. nobody, i mean NOBODY puts ketchup on a hotdog!”—harry calahan i had this little 30 second gem as my message on my answering machine for years! people loved it! my question would be, “what are you like?” (i know, very weak effort!) ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-question-to-learn-about-someone/85443/23 "2001-10-05T20:14:44Z")
How about “What makes you happy?” When I first met Mr Cazzle on ICQ, his questions to determine if I was worth talking to were: Do you like Star Trek? Do you like Monty Python? Do you like South Park? Apparently, I passed 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2001, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-question-to-learn-about-someone/85443/24 "2001-10-06T00:14:48Z")
“Your place or mine?” Just kidding, of course. 😉 Hey! Catsup/ketchup isn’t bad on a hotdog, as long as it’s beef! ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2001, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-question-to-learn-about-someone/85443/25 "2001-10-06T14:39:09Z")
“Would you rather be right or happy?” ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2001, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-question-to-learn-about-someone/85443/26 "2001-10-06T14:53:42Z")
I’ve been thinking about this for two days. I thought of a pretty good one: “What do you want to do before you die?” On the other hand, as good as many of these questions are, if someone asked them of me, much of the time I would find them too nosy. I’m a little put off by questions about what I do for fun, asked by someone I’ve just met. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2001, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-question-to-learn-about-someone/85443/27 "2001-10-06T23:54:18Z")
Right on bluethree!..Are you gonna stab them or shoot them afterwards? ---
**Author:** ![Medea\_s\_Child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Medea\_s\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Medea_s_Child)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2001, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-question-to-learn-about-someone/85443/28 "2001-10-07T03:58:36Z")
So, who are you? Or alternativly “What do you do?” (The people who do not define their actions as a job or themselevs as a job are generally the keepers. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2001, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-question-to-learn-about-someone/85443/29 "2001-10-07T04:16:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gatopescado \* > **"…teachers getting thrown out of 4th story windows cause they don’t give A’s…no, that doesn’t bother me. you know what does bother me? you know what really makes me sick to my stomach?" > “what?” > “its watching you, stuffing your face with those hotdogs. nobody, i mean NOBODY puts ketchup on a hotdog!”—harry calahan** As a foodie, this quote has always struck me as being completely hilarious. Especially, considering how they are both examining a corpse who has had his genitals shot off while the detective in question happily munches away on his wiener (as it were). PS: **Gato** , your sig line is posted outside my cubicle with much hilarity ensuing. ---
**Author:** ![DPWhite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d26b3c/32.png) [@DPWhite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPWhite)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2001, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-question-to-learn-about-someone/85443/30 "2001-10-07T04:35:14Z")
Talk to me about pets. ---
**Author:** ![quinoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/a9adbd/32.png) [@quinoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quinoa)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2001, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-question-to-learn-about-someone/85443/31 "2001-10-07T05:55:03Z")
well i don’t know that it tells me everything about the person, but one i like to ask out of fun curiousity is ‘what’s the strangest color of socks you’ve ever worn?’ (and i’m glad no one seems to be asking the ‘what do you do for fun’ question. it makes me twitch!) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-question-to-learn-about-someone/85443.md?page=1)