Chic in China

I was sitting at my desk, listening to music, minding my own business when she asked me this and pinched my side. And you know, this is not the first time I have been asked this by a Chinese person/friend/co-worker, but it is one of those things I still have no clue of how to respond to.

Because where I come from, this is something you never ask another person, unless it is a very, very, very, close friend (and not even then..) or it is your mother asking you. It is just one of those unwritten rules that everybody knows about, and it is one of those things you don’t need to get pointed out to you, like; "you have a pimple there". No shit, Sherlock, it is not like I spent 30 minutes trying to cover it this morning. I know it is there, you do not have to point it out, ok?

But back to the matter at hand. Why is it OK in China to ask people this? I have heard that it shows that they "care" about your health and well-being...is it true? And what do you respond? Should you tell them that they should not ask a foreign person that, should you just ignore it, or should you say: "Thanks, you to." What is the right protocol in this situation? Because my natural instinct is to tell her to F-off...

So, have I gotten fat? Maybe just a little. But I don’t need someone telling me that, my pants have been screaming it at me the whole week, I am already well-informed, thank you very much.