What's a better first question to open conversation with a new acquaintance?

[Birdjaguar]

E.g “How are you?”

"How are you?" usually begets "fine" and that can easily be a dead end.

 

[Gori the Grey]

On rainy days I answer that "Me worse than wet thou findst not."

It's a quote from John Milton's Paradise Regained, which concerns Satan's temptation of Christ in the desert. Satan tempts him on one day. Christ resists. Satan leaves but stirs up a storm. When he returns for the second day's temptation, that's what Christ says: i.e. I'm not shaken by your attempts to shake me.

 

[Angst]

Well that makes it even better!

i swear to god, whenever an english speaker asks me that, i start like "oh, i've really been tired recently, i really have issues sleeping... meds kicking my a--- oh right. uh. english. i'm... fine... how... are you?"

worst double take-inducing sentence in the english language, completely detached from it's pragmatic use!

Hur mår du?

hissss swedish hissss

 

[AmazonQueen]

"How are you?" usually begets "fine" and that can easily be a dead end.

Either that or a long conversation about their IBS.