He probably knows what to say.
If I ask any of my Polish relatives how they are I can expect at least a 10 minute conversation.

Going back to the British topic, there's a brilliant book called "The Xenophobe's Guide to the English". I will give a small extract:

"If someone asks 'How are you?' when you meet, you must not speak about your bad back, high blood pressure, or imminent open heart surgery. The correct response is "Mustn't grumble", which will be approvingly interpreted as 'bloody awful, but I'm not going to bore you with the details'. If your listener at any point says "How interesting", you will know that he finds you as fascinating as watching paint dry. If he says "We must meet again soon", you will know he would rather go over Niagra Falls in a barrel than do so. Learn the lesson now: the English speak in code."
( TIAL Four capital letters, written in gold., Fri 5 Mar 2010, 15:02, Reply)