A young Bristish woman went to Hong Kong to work,and at the time of her arrival she knew nothing about the Chinese culture or language. On her wayto school one day,she went to the bank to get some money.The bank clerk asked her if she had had her lunch.She was very surprised at such a question because in the British culture it would be regarded as an indirect invitation to lunch.Between unmarried young people it can also indicate the young man's interest in dating the girl.So since this banke clerk was a complete stranger to the British girl,she was very taken aback,and quickly said that of the teahcers asked her the same question.By now she realized that it could not be an invitation,but was puzzled about why they asked it.In the following days she was asked the same question again and again,and she spent many hours trying to work out why so many people keep asking her this.Finally she came to a conclusion:the people must be concerned about her health.She was rather thin at the time,and so she concluded they must be worrying that she was not eating properly!Only much later did she discover that the question had no real meanning at all—it was only a greeting.