Haha. I’m a Midwesterner and have such a great memory I scare the $hit out if people asking about things they told me about years ago- their sister, their aunt that worked at Kraft, their 1995 canoe trip, their FB post recipe! Most people roll with it and answer but some look startled!!

But it’s sexy as !ell having a truly rolling back and forth conversation on something (not politics or someone’s job obsession), male or female.

Anonymous wrote:I have one friend like this. He is from Chicago. Do what you will with that info.

I am your friend from Chicago. I will try to ask you how you are doing. But I really feel awkward and almost as if I'm intruding.

I’d say this has been my experience with several midwestern friends.

As both a Midwesterner and kind of an asshole, I think it is more the latter. I absolutely do this, because I honestly hate that kind of chit chat and only ask those kind of check-in questions if for some reason it consciously registers that I should. Otherwise I just answer your question and move on. I know it’s sort of rude, but honestly it often doesn’t even occur to me until afterward,,, like “oh, I should have asked about her mother” or whatever. I also would not be remotely offended if you didn’t ask me.

But again, I think tons is people in the Midwest LIVE for that kind of jibber jabber, so I wouldn’t chalk it up to that.

I'm from the Midwest and I do this to some extent, but I don't think it's a Midwestern thing. I keep answers to such questions short because how I'm doing is a boring subject. If I ask someone how they're doing, I'm afraid they'll go on about it for a long time.

Let's talk about a book or a movie or a sports team or just about anything else instead.

I am guilty of this. I love to listen to people share, but I feel very awkward asking questions about specific things (unless it's a follow up on something they shared before) because I am worried it'll put them on the spot or, yes, seem nosy.

Anonymous wrote:I have had this problem with people from: Indiana, Maryland, Toronto, and China.

Never a problem with Africans and people from Ohio....

SO, it is just a person problem, not a location problem

My MIL and SIL are from Ohio and I've never met two more self-absorbed people who love to hear themselves talk. I'm mildly amused when they actually remember their manners are ask me or my DH something, but before we complete the first sentence, they've interrupted and are back to talking about themselves.

Some people think they are the most interesting person in the room, and they want everyone to know.

The weirdest thing about this is that you have had this one experience with one person and posit that she's this way because of where she grew up. It's surprising you've never met anyone else like her and, seemingly, never anyone else from the midwest. You have a single sample and your suppositions come from that sample.