It is worth noting again here that ‘How are you?’ is only treated as a ‘real’ question among very close personal friends or family;24. everywhere else, the automatic, ritual response is ‘Fine, thanks’, ‘OK, thanks’, ‘Oh, mustn’t grumble’, ‘Not bad, thanks’ or some equivalent, whatever your physical or mental state. If you are terminally ill, it is acceptable to say, ‘Not bad, considering.’
